Image Credit: HCSO & Google Maps
The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
A man accused of murder has been extradited from Mexico to Hamilton County to face charges for allegedly beating an ex-girlfriend to death in 2011.
41-year-old Jose Angel Lopez Hernandez is charged with first degree murder in the 13-year-old case.
Police say Hernandez took 34-year-old hairdresser Jeimy Esperanza Baquero to a rental property located at 4103 Shady Oak Drive in Ooltewah on August 2, 2011. Baquero was a former girlfriend of Hernandez.
According to the affidavit, “Once at the scene, the suspect killed the victim by applying blunt force trauma with a weapon to the victim’s head and body. The victim had fatal severe trauma to the head.”
The homeowner, Alfredo Garcia, had recently evicted the tenant of the rental property. Garcia contacted law enforcement after discovering Baquero’s body wrapped in a blanket in a closet of the home on August 4, 2011. Baquero’s husband identified her by her tattoos.
A neighbor reportedly told police that she had seen Hernandez at the home during the time that the murder took place. She recognized him as a former roommate of Baquero’s.
A man who went to the home with Hernandez also confirmed that he was present at the time and that he had given Hernandez a ride after the incident. The affidavit states that he was taken to a shuttle to go to Atlanta and then flee to Mexico.
Police state that “physical evidence recovered from the crime scene includes a possible murder weapon, blood evidence, and evidence to link the victim to the suspect.”
The indictment in the case was handed down by a Hamilton County grand jury in December 2019.
