A North Hollywood man was sentenced Friday to 16 years to life in prison for the death of his girlfriend, who was stabbed and then run over by several vehicles after jumping out of a moving car on the Foothill (210) Freeway in Sylmar.
Ricardo Jimenez, 27, was convicted April 3 of second-degree murder for the Aug. 29, 2013, death of Maria “Josie” Jimenez, to whom he was not related.
The 22-year-old woman was stabbed multiple times by Jimenez as he drove eastbound on the freeway, according to Deputy District Attorney Elena Camaras Abramson, who argued that the victim jumped from the moving vehicle to try to escape him and was struck by several cars and trucks.
Authorities said that prior to the woman’s death, the two had been involved in a verbal dispute at a tattoo parlor, where he was “berating” her.
The Toyota Corolla, which belonged to the victim, was later found abandoned in the Foothill area and had her blood on the passenger side of the vehicle, according to the prosecutor. Ricardo Jimenez was arrested two days later.
— City News Service