A New Mexico woman was arrested Saturday for allegedly lying about being carjacked at knifepoint before causing a car crash that killed a retired firefighter and a police officer, The Associated Press reported.
Police chased 46-year-old Jeannine Jaramillo as she drove on the wrong side of the road, KOB 4 reported. Officer Robert Duran, 43, and Frank Lovato, 62, died Wednesday as a result of the crash on Interstate 25 near Santa Fe, the AP reported. Lovato was not associated with the chase.
Jaramillo told New Mexico State Police she had been kidnapped at knifepoint, and police initially released her, the AP reported.
The woman initially said she had been carjacked at knifepoint, according to authorities, but evidence showed there was only one person inside the vehicle at the time of the crash https://t.co/KbDrwM1f5T
— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 7, 2022
DNA evidence showed she was the only person inside the stolen car when the crash occurred and another police officer said she only saw one woman get out of the car when the crash happened, according to a New Mexico State Police news release, the AP reported. (RELATED: REPORT: Man Kidnapped At Knife Point, Forced To Withdraw Cash, Ordered To Stay Overnight In A Hotel)
“There is, without question, sufficient cause to assert that Jaramillo was driving the stolen vehicle willfully and freely from any kind of duress,” First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said, according to KOB 4. “I am confident in saying that Jaramillo acted on her own accord and in a manner that is consistent with her recent criminal behavior of deceit and disregard for public safety.”
Jaramillo previously said a man held her at knifepoint when she was charged with receiving a stolen car, aggravated fleeing and methamphetamine possession September 2021, the AP reported.
Jaramillo also said she was carjacked in September and October in Cibola County, but no perpetrator was found, KOB-TV and other outlets reported.
Authorities have charged Jaramillo with two counts of first-degree murder, receiving or transferring a stolen motor vehicle, aggravated fleeing and tampering with evidence, the AP reported.