Girlfriend of Whatcom murder suspect believed to have helped him flee to Arizona is arrested
Ferndale Police have arrested the girlfriend of the man charged with murdering another man outside a large gathering earlier this year after suspecting she aided him as he fled to Arizona.
Kimberly Trujillo Mendoza, 21, was booked into Whatcom County Jail on Thursday, March 10, on suspicion of first-degree rendering criminal assistance, according to a news release Monday, March 14, from the city of Ferndale.
During the investigation into Jose Esquivel Hernandez’s death on Jan. 23 outside a large gathering, police discovered that Trujillo Mendoza was the girlfriend of Miguel Miranda, who previously was arrested and charged with second-degree murder in Hernandez’s death, according to the release. Trujillo Mendoza and Miranda have a child in common, the release states.
Witnesses at the gathering reported seeing Trujillo Mendoza and Miranda at the party together before the shooting, according to the release.
Traffic cameras captured a photo of Trujillo Mendoza’s car traveling south from Kingman, Arizona, on Jan. 24, the release states, which helped lead investigators to Phoenix, where Miranda was arrested.
During a search of the car, receipts were located from businesses in Las Vegas and Phoenix, according to the release. The receipts reportedly led investigators to find security footage and bank records confirming that Trujillo Mendoza was in the vehicle along with another person, who police suspect is Miranda, the release states.
Trujillo Mendoza told investigators that she was in the car with Miranda, according to the release, and admitted to purchasing new phones in Las Vegas after picking Miranda up in Portland, Oregon, after the shooting.
The Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office and Ogden (Utah) Police Department aided in the investigation, according to the release.
Miranda was arrested Jan. 28 in Phoenix, Arizona, after the car he was believed to be driving the night of the killing was spotted in Kingman, Arizona. Miranda was booked into the Whatcom County Jail on Feb. 9, where he remains incarcerated in lieu of $5 million bail, according to court records.
Miranda pleaded not guilty to the charges Feb. 18, according to earlier reporting in The Bellingham Herald.
The Ferndale Police Department is still searching for two other “witnesses” to Hernandez’s shooting death previously identified as Jimmy Abitia and Michael Archouletta. City of Ferndale spokesperson Riley Sweeney said Abitia and Archouletta have not been located as of Friday, March 11, and the search is ongoing.
The shooting
Ferndale police were called at 12:18 a.m. on Jan. 23 to the American Legion building on Second Avenue in Ferndale for the report of a shooting at a large party, according to court records.
Officers found Hernandez outside the building with two gunshot wounds to his mid-torso. Hernandez was taken to St. Joseph’s hospital in Bellingham, where he later died, court records state.
Witnesses told police there was an altercation before Hernandez was shot, the records show.
Hernandez denied Miranda and two other people he was with entry to the building, a witness told police. The witness and Hernandez then escorted Miranda and the two people toward the parking lot, where an argument between them began, according to court records.
One of the two people Miranda was with allegedly told Miranda to pull out a gun and shoot Hernandez. Miranda pulled a black handgun from his waistband and shot Hernandez, according to court records. Miranda and the two others fled in a vehicle, the records state.
Witnesses provided a photo of Miranda, who is a known gang member, and identified him as the man who shot Hernandez, according to court documents.
Miranda has a previous felony conviction for first-degree criminal assistance from a 2016 drive-by shooting incident, in which he was the driver in a shooting that occurred on Haxton Way. He was sentenced to six months in jail, according to court records.
Miranda also has previous juvenile convictions for malicious mischief, criminal trespassing, obstructing law enforcement and assault, court records show.
This story was originally published March 14, 2022 at 11:59 AM.
