Judge Drops Bombshell In Pickax Killing

A Los Angeles County judge ruled there is enough evidence to send a Glendale firefighter to trial for allegedly killing his wife with a pick ax, after a detective described 32 chop wounds and a weapon found covered in blood just feet from her body.

Story Snapshot

Judge Theresa McGonigle ordered Andrew Jimenez to stand trial after an October 21 preliminary hearing.
Detective Jason Haggis testified a bloody pick ax was found near victim Mayra Jimenez’s body, with no signs of forced entry.
The medical examiner reportedly found 32 chop wounds, including 25 to the head and neck, and an internal decapitation injury.
Jimenez, a former Glendale firefighter-paramedic, faces a domestic-violence murder charge with a deadly-weapon allegation and has pleaded not guilty.

Judge Sends Case To Trial After Detective Testimony

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Theresa McGonigle ruled on October 21, 2026, that prosecutors showed sufficient cause for Andrew Jimenez’s case to move forward. The ruling came after Detective Jason Haggis testified about the scene where Mayra Jimenez was found dead inside the couple’s North Hollywood home. Jimenez’s public defender had asked the judge to dismiss the charge, arguing the evidence was not strong enough.

Haggis testified that a pick ax was found leaning near Mayra Jimenez’s body, covered in blood and positioned roughly two feet away. He also told the court there were no signs that anyone broke into the home, a detail that points to someone with access to the residence. Prosecutors say Mayra Jimenez was identified through fingerprints after her body was discovered.

Autopsy Findings Described In Court

The medical examiner documented 32 chop wounds on Mayra Jimenez’s body, including 25 to her head and neck, according to preliminary-hearing testimony. Examiners also found an internal decapitation injury and damage to her brain, which they attributed to a large pick ax. Prosecutors said one wound to her left temple matched the pick end of the ax recovered at the scene, and ruled her death a result of chop wounds.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office charged Jimenez on January 23, 2026, with murder and an allegation that he used an ax as a deadly weapon. Prosecutors labeled the case a domestic-violence murder. Jimenez pleaded not guilty to the charge during an earlier court appearance.

Defense Points To Alleged Infidelity Discovery

An attorney who represented Jimenez near the time of his arrest said his client had apparently learned his wife was unfaithful shortly before the killing. That attorney said his office was contacting law enforcement about a diary allegedly documenting the infidelity. Separate reporting noted neighbors told investigators they heard the couple fighting before Mayra Jimenez’s death.

The charges against Jimenez remain allegations, and the preliminary-hearing ruling establishes only that prosecutors met the legal threshold to proceed to trial, not proof of guilt. Mayra Jimenez worked as a teacher, and students and friends held a vigil in her memory after her death.

Case Reflects Broader Domestic Violence Patterns

Federal health data shows intimate-partner violence remains a significant factor in killings of women nationwide. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded nearly 4,000 female intimate-partner-homicide victims between 2018 and 2021, with spouses historically accounting for roughly half of such cases. Those national patterns help explain why investigators scrutinize domestic circumstances closely, though they say nothing about what happened inside this specific home.

Jimenez, once a paramedic with the Glendale Fire Department, is expected to face trial following the judge’s ruling. Court records show inconsistencies in some public accounts about the exact date of the killing and Mayra Jimenez’s age, details that may be clarified as the case proceeds through the court system toward trial.