BRAWLEY, Calif. — A mother of three small children was murdered in her home on Christmas Eve during a domestic dispute. The man accused of homicide also took his own life, according to reports.
The murder-suicide occurred on Christmas Eve when Jose Cervantes, 25, reportedly shot and killed Jajaira Marie Solano, 23, in a home the two shared with her three children, the Calexico Chronicle reported.
Officers of the Brawley Police Department responded to a 911 call regarding shots fired inside a residence on Adler Street. Responding officers learned that neighbors overhead a male and female arguing just before two gunshots were fired.
Police entered the residence and discovered an adult male and female suffering from gunshot wounds. They were both pronounced dead at the scene, according to a police press release.
Detectives responded to the scene. They said the evidence pointed to the incident being a murder-suicide, Law&Crime reported.
The Imperial County Coroner’s Office identified the suspected shooter as Cervantes. Officials did not identify Solano, but her name was revealed through a GoFundMe page set up by her family.
“We are absolutely devastated by Jajaira Marie’s passing, ‘Yajah’ or Marie as some of you knew her, was a very happy, outgoing, loving mother. Her kids were her world, she dedicated her life to her family, she was a young beautiful daughter, granddaughter, cousin and aunt who will be greatly missed,” her family wrote on the fundraising page.
“This is hurting us beyond words can describe. She was fatally murdered in her home on Christmas eve, leaving behind 3 beautiful young children. This is a tragedy we never imagined would happen, it left us heartbroken and hurting.”
Cervantes and Solano had a contentious relationship, neighbors said. They fought often, with many of those altercations occurring on the front porch of their home without concern for who witnessed their battles, the Holtville Tribune reported.
“They argued a lot,” a Spanish speaking neighbor told the news outlet earlier this week, adding, “They had problems.”
The neighbor told the Tribune that Cervantes was the father of the youngest child, but unsure about the older two.
