Month: August 2026

Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — After a jury was selected Friday, opening statements started Monday in a capital murder trial for a man accused of killing his aunt and girlfriend on Christmas in 2022.

Police said both alleged murders happened in separate locations.

That day, El Paso Police went to a house on Truman Avenue in Central El Paso after a woman told 911 she was stabbed.

Authorities found 79-year-old Irma Ramirez with stab wounds all over her body. She went to the hospital and later died.

Crimes Against Persons investigated and secured an arrest warrant for Gabriel Antonio Ramirez. They found him bleeding from cuts to his neck and wrists in the front yard of a house. He was taken to a hospital nearby for treatment.

During the investigation, detectives discovered he allegedly stole his aunt’s SUV from the murder scene and drove to West El Paso. Investigators said a witness saw Ramirez covered in blood and using a garden hose.

In his aunt’s SUV, detectives found the body of 24-year-old Kathia Rosales, Ramirez’ girlfriend.

Ramirez was released from the hospital Dec. 31, 2022, and arrested. He was charged with capital murder on a $1.5 million bond.

The prosecution played the 911 made by Ramirez’ aunt which sounded as if she was being attacked while on the phone with police dispatch before calling one of the officers, Edward Shurkitt, testified to describe what the crime scene was like.

Shurkitt described seeing drops of blood around the outside of the house before knocking on the front door waiting for an answer while his partner went to the carport on the side of the house while Shurkitt kept knocking to see if anyone was home.

After there was no response and the officers notices more drops of blood using their flashlights leading to the door Shurkitt’s partner was at which was when he said he pulled out his gun as they started trying to look through the windows to see if anyone was inside.

Shurkitt said curtains were blocking most of the windows but when he was able to get a look inside through a small opening by the house’s carport he thought he saw a foot which to him gave them permission to come inside the house as an emergency situation.

Both officers came in through the door attached to the kitchen where they saw blood and during cross when Shurkitt admitted he felt scared in the moment.

This was when Shurkitt said him and his partner looked through the house room by room looking for anybody hiding or anyone who needed help calling out to anyone in the house but still didn’t hear anything until they found a woman’s body laying face up in the living room by the front door who turned out to be Irma Ramirez.

Shurkitt said he checked for a pulse after seeing the stab wounds in her chest and the body holding a shite trash bag in its left hand but after seeing ‘no signs of life’ he focused on preserving the crime scene and where he eventually said he found the weapon, a large kitchen knife with blood on it and even a roll of toilet paper with blood one it.

Throughout Shurkitt’s testimony, prosecutors showed the courtroom the states pictures of the house as he continued in an effort to show what he was talking about whcih showed the blood drops on the outside of the house in the carport and in the house’s patio area as well as the blood in the house’s interior.

The court saw evidence photos of the body and of the knife’s tip with blood on it as well as the handle and even a picture of the blood stain left by the body with what looked like a puddle of vomit next to the blood stain.

The Degree to which the house was covered in blood was truly shown when camera footage slowly going around then through the house showed blood even on the white Toyota Corolla in the carport and even all over both doors and knobs including the screen door before showing blood in almost every room of the house and even on the walls of the main hallway.

Upon cross examination, the defense made it a point to explain their issues with the police response beginning with the unit taking almost 40 minutes to get to the scene which they said showed they ‘weren’t in a rush’ to get there and even taking an issue with the radio playing music in the squad car.

Shurkitt even admitted they initially went to a 3728 address but on the wrong street, Harrison Avenue, about four blocks from the actual house on Truman Avenue and when reviewing the dash cam footage the defense felt the officers were ‘too relaxed’ in the way they approached the house which Shurkitt admitted they were not in hurry to get into the home because it wasn’t considered an emergency situation just yet.

Another issue of the defense was what they considered ‘sloppy work’ at the crime scene like one photo of the knife with the officers boots clearly in the frame and even not wearing gloves immediately after coming into the house.

Something Shurkitt defended on the stand saying he was more concerned with getting to anyone inside that needed help.

Something the defense made a point to do were numerous objections on the matter of hearsay whenever Shurkitt mentioned something his partner told him or heard his partner say which became so frequent from the defense team both sides were called to the bench multiple times before court let out.

This is a developing story.

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Nina Gallegos

TULAROSA, N.M. (KVIA) – Two weeks after Tularosa declared a water emergency, residents and business owners are growing frustrated as the village continues to restore its water supply.

The owner of local restaurant Casa De Sueños, Matthew Kaplan, said people in the village are angry.

Tularosa Mayor Deborah Cooksey said storms up in the Mescalero area pushed debris and ash down the creek, blocking a pipe to the water intake.

The blockage prompted Cooksey to declare a water emergency in Tularosa. According to the Aug. 3 declaration, officials prohibited all outdoor watering, irrigation and nonessential water use.

The declaration prohibited lawn sprinkling, watering landscaping, washing vehicles or driveways and filling or topping off swimming pools, hot tubs and decorative fountains.

Village officials urged residents to conserve water by taking shorter showers, running full loads of laundry and dishes and repairing any plumbing leaks.

Village officials distributed free cases of drinking water each day since the declaration. Kaplan said bottled water doesn’t solve the problem for residents who need water for landscaping and trees.

“I mean, they’re handing out drinking water, but you can’t hand out enough water to water trees and gardens and bushes and stuff. This is a rural community that relies a lot on their vegetation and all of their own trees and their yards and stuff,” Kaplan said.

Kaplan said he has spent years growing fruit trees in his yard, but the restrictions have left him unable to water them.

“Everybody’s very angry — very angry and upset,” Kaplan said.

Kaplan said Cooksey visited Casa De Sueños one afternoon and told him the restaurant would run out of water by 5 p.m.

“It was about 3, 3:15 in the afternoon and told me that I was going to have to close because of the water shortage, which I have abided by, closed at 4 because by code we’re not allowed to be open without water,” Kaplan said.

For the past couple of weeks, Kaplan said he’s had to pay extra for an ice service to bring the business drinkable water.

“My main concern is, is having to limit, you know, open time at the business because this is our livelihood and I provide a livelihood for 15 employees. So if we’re not open, then that’s 15 people that aren’t making a living, including myself,” Kaplan said.

Tularosa Utility Director Angel Voorbach said for the last couple of weeks he’s been working 18-hour days trying to unclog the pipe.

Voorbach said crews temporarily bypassed the blocked intake and used another valve to pump water into the system. They then increased the pressure to push debris out of the blocked pipe.

He said his team has been pumping water nonstop since Aug. 4.

Voorbach said he feels more prepared to handle cases like this in the future.

“Now that we actually have a game plan how to keep this open, I think we’re in better shoes now than what we were,” Voorbach said.

Cooksey said she hopes to lift the water emergency by Wednesday. She said she does not expect the same problem to happen again.

Kaplan, however, believes the village has a larger infrastructure problem.

“I think it’s going to be an ongoing problem because it’s systematic here and it’s not been addressed. I know that they’re trying to do their best, but it’s a bigger issue,” Kaplan said.

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Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — One person was hospitalized after a fire in South-Central El Paso, according to the El Paso Fire Department. EPFD said it happened at a one-story commercial building.

The fire was reported at 9:31 a.m. Monday, according to the fire department. Crews controlled it within 24 minutes.

Damage seen inside the South-Central El Paso fire on Aug. 17, 2026.

EPFD said one person was found, treated and sent to the hospital with serious injuries.

No other injuries were reported.

EPFD said the cause is under investigation.

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Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — The El Paso County Commissioners Court voted on Monday to close bids for the management and operation of the county-owned coliseum.

The court voted to close bids so the county can issue a revised solicitation with clearer information, according to a news release. It also includes sports tourism promotion program services.

The county said it saw “significant interest” from the vendor community and more than 200 questions during the procurement process.

“The volume and nature of those questions made clear that additional operational detail is needed to ensure potential proposers have complete, consistent and comparable information before submitting proposals,” the county said in the news release.

According to the county, the court chose to close before award to protect the integrity of the process and avoid asking for competition on incomplete information. It hopes reissuing a solicitation will provide a clearer scope for interested parties to compete fairly and for the county to evaluate proposals fairly.

The county said it’s working to obtain more facility, operational, financial, maintenance and transition-related information to support a stronger solicitation.

Future updates about a new solicitation will be made through the county’s official procurement channels, the county said.

The El Paso County Coliseum has long served as a major entertainment venue in the region, hosting boxing matches, concerts, rodeos and other events. It has operated since the 1940s.

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Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — A 25-year-old man from San Elizario faces an intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle charge after a crash killed a 72-year-old man on the Loop 375 Friday, police said.

According to an arrest affidavit ABC-7 obtained, Julian Lujan allegedly drove his truck the wrong way while intoxicated. Documents said the truck is registered under Lujan’s name.

On Friday at 4:51 a.m., El Paso police officers went to the ramp that connects I-10 East and Loop 375 for a reported crash.

Police alleged Lujan drove the wrong way on Loop 375 going north and crashed head-on into Alberto Gonzalez Juarez’ car.

A witness helped Lujan out of his truck, which was upside down, according to documents. Documents said Lujan told the witness he “messed up” and “should’ve known better since he was a first responder.”

Emergency crews transported Gonzalez Juarez to the hospital, where he died from his injuries, police said.

Two officers met with Lujan and noticed he showed signs of intoxication, documents said. Investigators wrote Lujan had an alcoholic beverage smell on his breath and poor balance.

Lujan allegedly refused to do a field sobriety test, documents said. Officers then arrested and transported him for further investigation.

During questioning, Lujan allegedly told police he was driving home from work, according to documents. When an officer asked him if he knew which road he drove, Lujan allegedly said he didn’t know.

The officer said Lujan slurred his speech as he spoke, smelled of alcohol and had red, bloodshot eyes, documents said. He also allegedly said he didn’t know if anyone else was in the truck with him when the crash happened. Documents said he later said he was the only one in the truck.

Lujan allegedly “refused to admit to any drinking,” documents said. He also allegedly said he would “do whatever the officers needed him to do.”

When an officer asked Lujan about giving a breath sample, he allegedly refused, documents said. After the officer explained how blood and breath samples work, Lujan agreed to provide a breath sample.

Documents said authorities sent Lujan to a hospital for medical clearance then sent to the El Paso Police Department headquarters. There, he allegedly admitted to drinking two medium-sized Carta Blanca beers at a local bar and driving the truck at the time of the crash.

Police said the crash marked the 36th traffic death this year compared to 37 at this time last year.

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Gabrielle Lopez

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Monday, El Paso County announced it joined a federal lawsuit challenging the Department of Homeland Security’s decision to withhold 20% of funding for certain grant programs unless states and some local governments comply with new federal requirements governing how elections are conducted.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which is part of the DHS, made that decision.

El Paso County joined Harris County, the Metropolitan Government of Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee, and the City of Columbus, Ohio. They filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

The cities and counties argue the DHS’ new grant conditions would make elections more expensive, difficult to administer and less reliable. They also alleged the conditions violate the Constitution and “jeopardize public safety, El Paso County said.

“Holding critical grant funding hostage to advance a false political narrative is unlawful. It comes at the direct expense of local election offices, law enforcement agencies, and the communities they are entrusted to serve,” said El Paso County Attorney Christina Sanchez in a statement.

El Paso County said the grants helped local governments prepare for and respond to terrorism, natural disasters and other emergencies. It claimed the new conditions put $1.75 million in funding for law enforcement and more than $170,000 for first-responder equipment at risk.

“Imposing additional requirements is both costly and burdensome, while our law enforcement agencies rely on this funding to purchase critical equipment that helps protect and save lives,”Sanchez said.

Other changes to how elections run include these requirements, according to the county:

Transition to hand-marked paper ballots instead of electronic voting systems.

Manually audit at least 5% of ballots.

Use the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) system to verify the citizenship of every registered voter and election worker.

El Paso County claimed transitioning to paper ballots could cost $3 million to print ballots. It also claimed manual auditing would “add significant new costs and be contrary to state law in some cases.”

The county also called the SAVE system “error-prone.”

The local governments suing DHS argued the new conditions violate the Constitution’s separation of powers and the Administrative Procedure Act. El Paso County said the Constitution gives Congress the authority to set the terms of federal spending and provides states with the power to make rules for elections.

El Paso County said it’s asking a judge for an order to “pause” the federal decision and declare the new rules unlawful so the full amount of funding can be released.

Additionally, 25 states and the District of Columbia filed a similar lawsuit asking to block the election conditions in their states. El Paso County said the local governments involved in the lawsuit filed Monday are located in states that didn’t participate in the previous lawsuit.

You can read the full lawsuit below.

Complaint – 26-cv-02886Download

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