North Hollywood Man Charged with Murdering Woman on 210 Freeway

By City News Service

A man was charged Tuesday with murdering a woman who fell from a car on the Foothill (210) Freeway in Sylmar and was struck by oncoming traffic.

Ricardo Jimenez, 26, of North Hollywood, was scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon in San Fernando Superior Court.

He is charged in connection with the Thursday death of Maria Josefina "Josie" Jimenez, to whom he is not related but was apparently dating.

The murder charge includes the allegation that a knife was used during the commission of the crime.

A determination of the exact cause of the 22-year-old woman's death has been deferred pending additional tests, according to Assistant Chief Ed Winter of the Coroner's Office.

Jimenez was arrested Saturday by Los Angeles police, who cited the amount of blood found on the passenger side of Maria Jimenez's red Toyota Corolla, which was found abandoned in the Foothill area.

The woman fell out of the passenger side of the red car onto the eastbound 210 Freeway west of Hubbard Street and was struck by several cars and trucks, according to police.

The two were in a dating relationship, according to Deputy District Attorney Carolyn McNary.

LAPD Lt. Paul Vernon said multiple witness have said the couple were at a "local tattoo parlor before midnight, with Rick causing a disturbance and berating Josie in front of others. We know Rick was driving Josie's red Toyota Corolla when the two left the parlor."

Josie's estranged husband reported her missing, but police said he was not believed to have had any involvement in her death.