A DRIVER who allegedly faked her own kidnapping has been charged with murder after a police officer and firefighter were killed in a five-car pile-up while looking for her.
Jeannine Jaramillo was charged with murder after 43-year-old police officer Robert Duran and 62-year-old veteran firefighter Frank Lovato were killed in a crash last week.
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The 46-year-old Albuquerque woman was charged with murder after leading authorities on a high-speed chase near Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Police said it was determined that Jaramillo fabricated a kidnapping story before police followed her as she drove the wrong way on Interstate 25 on Wednesday
Speaking at a news conference over the weekend, Santa Fe County District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said the woman will face a lifetime of prison if she’s convicted of the charges.
Carmack-Altwies said: “Jaramillo was driving a stolen vehicle, and she caused the collision that killed Mr. Duran and Mr. Lovato.
“Jeannine Jaramillo must answer to the charges of first-degree murder.”
New Mexico State Police announced at the news conference that Jaramillo was hit with two counts of first-degree murder charges, The New Mexican reports.
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Police said Jaramillo was arrested on Saturday after evidence confirmed she was the only person inside a stolen vehicle at the time of Wednesday’s deadly crash.
In a news release, police said: “State Police learned that Santa Fe Police Officers initiated the pursuit with a white Chevrolet Malibu near Sawmill Road and St. Francis Drive.
“The pursuit continued to Interstate 25 where the suspect drove in the wrong direction, traveling south in the northbound lanes of Interstate 25.”
The crash – which took place near milepost 286 – involved at least five vehicles, “two Santa Fe Police patrol units, Malibu, two uninvolved vehicles, a pickup truck, and a blue car,” police said.
Both the police officer and veteran firefighter were pronounced dead on the scene.
Before authorities charged Jaramillo, the woman spoke with KOB 4 about how she was allegedly kidnapped before the police chase.
Speaking to KOB 4, Jaramillo claimed a gun-toting man held her at knifepoint before they got into a vehicle.
Describing what happened after the crash, she told the news outlet: “I crawled out the driver side window, I fell to the ground and I looked up and there was the police, and I just ran for my life, and I was screaming help me.
“I’m crying, I was hysterical, I was in shock.”
She claimed a man named Mark Lopez, someone who investigators found not to be involved, escaped the car after the crash.
Police said on Saturday: “Jaramillo’s DNA standards along with the driver’s airbag from the stolen Malibu were submitted to the New Mexico Department of Public Safety Crime Lab for comparison.
“The Crime Lab’s report concluded the major DNA profile on the airbag matched with Jeannine Jaramillo’s DNA profile.”
Jaramillo was booked into the Santa Fe County Adult Detention Center on Saturday.
Following her arrest, New Mexico State Police Chief Tim Johnson said the community was now “safer.”
He added: “Her actions put the entire public in danger and took the lives of two dedicated public servants.
“I hope that holding her accountable will provide some closure to Officer Duran and Frank Lovato’s family.”
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