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Arizona Mom Allegedly Gunned Down By Her Ex Called 911 For Help Before Her Death
Maria Guadalupe Godinez Ramirez had taken a restraining order against her ex-boyfriend, Ulises A. Cruz Peraza, in December after she “began to fear for her life." He's now been arrested for her murder.
An Arizona mom who was allegedly gunned down by an ex-boyfriend she feared was able to call for help just before her shooting death.
A 911 dispatcher who answered Maria Guadalupe Godinez Ramirez's call on the night of May 1 heard gunshots over the phone, Apache Junction Police spokesperson Al Bravo told KSAZ-TV.
When police arrived in the area of Old West Highway and Colt Road a few minutes later, they discovered Ramirez, 28, gravely injured in her car.
“The victim had multiple gunshot wounds and was hospitalized in critical condition,” Bravo said.
She later died at the hospital from her injuries, police said in a statement.
Her ex-boyfriend, Ulises A. Cruz Peraza, 34, was taken into custody Wednesday in Los Angeles by the U.S. Marshal’s Office, who had been working with Apache Junction detectives.
Maria and Peraza had once dated but, in December of 2021, Maria took a restraining order out against him after she “began to fear for her life,” according to the Phoenix news outlet.
Oxygen.com reached out to Apache Junction Police but did not get an immediate response.
Maria’s brother, Estaban Godinez, said he had been shocked by the shooting.
“I never imagined [Peraza] was capable of doing something like this,” he said. “My sister never said much about him to me. Like, 'he’s back' or 'he is harassing me,' or she put any restraints against him. I never knew any of that.”
Investigators identified Peraza as a potential suspect in the shooting after allegedly identifying a vehicle seen leaving the scene of the shooting as his, KNXV reports.
Those who knew the 28-year-old mother of two held a fundraiser in her honor on Saturday to raise money for her family and increase awareness about domestic violence.
“Unfortunately, my little sister will never return home, but she should serve as an example for so many women who are suffering,” Godinez said, according to KPHO-TV.
He described his sister as the life of the party, who loved being with friends and family. He said his family is hoping to bury Maria in Mexico, where her mother still lives.
He told KPNX that police had told him Peraza has not shown any remorse for his alleged role in the killing.
“He needs to stay in jail forever,” he said. “He had no right to take my sister’s life like that.”
