Man accused of fatal stabbing near auto body shop also wanted by ICE, attorney says
Man accused of fatal stabbing near auto body shop also wanted by ICE, attorney says
Updated Feb 20, 2020; Posted Feb 20, 2020
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Javier Ramirez-Jimenez, 48, is accused of fatally stabbing another man in Elizabeth on Feb. 14, 2020.
Illegal Alien Charged With Fatal Stabbing In New Jersey
By Rebecca Panico | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
The man accused of a fatal stabbing last week in Elizabeth near an auto body shop began to cry when his family left the courtroom Wednesday after his detention hearing. Javier Ramirez-Jimenez, 48, was charged with reckless manslaughter after authorities say he fatally stabbed 67-year-old Carlos Ariza on the 500 block of Elizabeth Avenue. Authorities say the two men, both from Elizabeth, were having a heated argument inside a parked car around 11:45 p.m. last Friday just before Ariza was stabbed.
Ramirez-Jimenez entered a not guilty plea in Superior Court of Union County in Elizabeth Wednesday and agreed to remain detained. He struggled to stand up to be sworn in during court, so much so, that the judge allowed him to sit. His supporters in court included his sister, brother-in-law and some friends. They declined to comment to NJ Advance Media outside of the courtroom.John Kean III, a public defender for Ramirez-Jimenez, told Superior Court Judge Lara DiFabrizio that his client was consenting to be detained since he is wanted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE.“In light of the ICE detainment that was filed on him, we had a thorough discussion,” Kean said in court. “We understand that should he be released from here, he’ll be going into ICE custody anyway.”
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A vigil was set up in front of an auto body shop in Elizabeth for Carlos Ariza , who was fatally stabbed on Feb. 14, 2020.
A vigil set up in front of the auto body shop for Ariza featured small mementos like toy trucks and empty cans of Coors Light. A poster board with notes written mostly in Spanish included messages like, "I will miss you,” and "I love you so much.”Two men inside the ashop said Ariza worked there from time to time.“Carlos was very good,” said one man, who mostly spoke Spanish. “[Never had] problems with customers.”NJ Advance Media obtained an affidavit of probable cause in the case which detailed what police investigators allege happened during the night of the crime on Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day.Authorities say a security guard at a bar across the street from the auto body shop was tending to a woman who was bleeding from her palm. A second security guard was keeping Ramirez-Jimenez separated from a group of people who were standing near a white Nissan Pathfinder, police say in the complaint.
Police say they learned that Ariza was inside the auto body shop and saw a wound in his abdomen. He then collapsed to the floor and was transported to University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.
Jimenez-Ramirez and another person, whose name is redacted from the complaint, were taken to Trinitas Hospital and later transported to the Union County Prosecutor’s Office for questioning.A person, whose name is also redacted in the court document, was taken to the Elizabeth Police Department and interviewed by its detectives. The person told police they observed someone, whose name is also redacted in the complaint, push Ramirez-Jimenez to the ground, police said.The person provided a cellphone video he recorded of the incident, police said. The video shows Ramirez-Jimenez at the driver-side door of the Nissan with blood visible on the vehicle and the ground.Ramirez-Jimenez made several contradictory statements but admitted there was a physical altercation between him and a person, whose name is again redacted, inside the vehicle, police said.Someone brandished a knife inside the car, but the affidavit is unclear about who held it. A struggle for the knife inside the car spilled outside, which resulted in the woman being cut on her palm.
Ramirez-Jimenez told authorities he struggled for the knife, and then Ariza was stabbed in his stomach, police said.His next court appearance is scheduled for March 26.
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A vigil was set up for Carlos Ariza in front of the auto body shop in Elizabeth where he worked and was fatally stabbed on Feb. 14, 2020.
