The Arlington Police Department has reportedly filed murder charges against 23-year-old Jacob Arriaga Guerrero following the death of 63-year-old Erma Adeyemo Azeez, according to a statement released by the department. After an initial assessment, the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office concluded that Ms. Azeez's stab wounds were the cause of her death, invoking a homicide ruling.
Originally, the case was opened as an aggravated assault after officers, who were dispatched to an apartment complex on the 2600 block of Whisper Meadow Lane late Monday night in response to reported gunshots, found Ms. Azeez unresponsive. The efforts to effectively parse through the chaos that night led them to Mr. Arriaga Guerrero, whose violent attack they now believe escalated to murder.
A 37-year-old man at the scene, who was allegedly armed, claimed to hear cries for help and witnessed the attack. He confronted the attacker with a firearm and fired a warning shot, causing the assailant to flee on foot, the report detailed.
Detectives were quick to draw links between the assault and a probation violation when a tampered ankle monitor triggered an alert. The device, meant to monitor Guerrero's movements effectively, positioned him at the scene, prompting the Arlington Police to act on this data. They soon after responded to a hit-and-run involving Guerrero, where two individuals were injured and a dog was harmed.
Guerrero has now been charged with numerous offenses, including murder, collision involving injury, animal cruelty, and theft of a motor vehicle, as he was apprehended driving a stolen SUV related to the hit-and-run incident. The investigation by the Arlington Police Department continues, with more charges potentially forthcoming.
