Man charged with murder after his girlfriend’s body was found in a barrel

HOUSTON (TCN) -- Family members of a woman found dead in a barrel say she was a victim of domestic violence. 

On Dec. 10, police found the body of Christelrose Angel Ramirez, 41, in a chemical container dumped alongside Interstate 45, KRIV reports.

According to court documents obtained by the outlet, Ramirez was allegedly killed by her boyfriend, Jesus Varela, 48, on Dec. 1. KHOU reports an autopsy determined Ramirez died from multiple gunshot wounds.

On Dec. 6, a Texas Ranger spoke with a woman who said her friend had been killed, KTRK reports. Rangers went the home where Varela, a Honduran national, lived with his nephew and Ramirez.

Court records obtained by the outlet state Varela’s nephew allegedly told interviewers Varela killed Ramirez and then asked him to help dispose of the body. The nephew claimed Varela threatened to kill him if he did not help. 

Per the court documents, the nephew helped Varela place Ramirez’s body into plastic bags and then sealed into a barrel. Varela then allegedly dumped it in a wooded area off I-45, where police found it on Dec. 10. 

Ramirez’s family members were concerned when they did not hear from her for 11 days, KRIV reports. They told the outlet Ramirez and Varela had been in an on-and-off relationship since 2019 and that her father “sensed her death was soon.”

According to KPRC, police had previously responded to Ramirez and Varela’s home in November for a domestic violence dispute and Ramirez was arrested.

Phone location data placed Varela at the same location on Dec. 10 where Ramirez’s body was later recovered, per KHOU. Varela was not initially charged with murder when he arrested Dec 6 because Ramirez’s body had not yet been found, KTRK reports.

He is now charged with felony murder and tampering with evidence, according to KRIV. He’s being held without bail and is also on an ICE hold, KHOU reports. He is scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 17.

MORE: