Investigators in Phoenix have identified the man accused of fatally shooting his girlfriend and then driving her body to a police substation early Tuesday morning. Josue Barreras Anaya, 36, is being held on a charge of premeditated first-degree murder in the death of 32-year-old Jessica Guzman.
Jessica’s brother, David Guzman, said the family is devastated. “I’m still furious, absolutely furious,” he said. “He loaded up my sister in the back of his truck like it was roadkill,” David said. His sister endured years of domestic violence from her on-again off off-again boyfriend. “We all tried to wake her up to make her see the danger that she was in, and he just somehow, someway kept on weaseling his way back into her life,” he said.
Jessica, a devoted mother to a 10-year-old son, struggled to break free from the cycle of abuse. David said she faced isolation and control for years despite repeated warnings from loved ones. Relatives often called police to request welfare checks, hoping authorities could intervene, but the situation never improved, according to local TV station AzFamily.
According to police, the case unfolded shortly after 5 a.m. Tuesday, when a Phoenix police sergeant returned to the Maryvale Estrella Mountain Precinct on Encanto Boulevard. Someone in the parking lot flagged him down. Court documents state that Anaya told the sergeant he had accidentally shot his girlfriend and that she was in the bed of his pickup truck.
Officers found Jessica in the truck bed wrapped in a comforter. When they removed the bedding, they discovered she had been shot in the head. Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene.
After being read his Miranda rights, Anaya described what he said happened. He claimed the two were asleep in his bedroom when the handgun he kept under his pillow fell to the floor, startling Jessica awake. According to his statement, they began arguing because she thought he had dropped his cellphone. He said they both reached for the gun, struggled over it, and two shots were fired.
Officers searched Anaya’s home near 71st Avenue and Thomas Road and found blood and a handgun. Investigators later located additional evidence in the back of the truck. Documents say a blood-soaked pillow with a bullet hole was found under the comforter. A fired bullet was recovered inside the pillow.
Anaya is being held on a $1 million bond.
David said Jessica was the heart of their family. “She was a bright light of the family, always cheerful, always willing to help,” he said. He urged others to recognize the danger of domestic violence before it is too late. Jessica leaves behind her young son and was also the sole provider for her mother. Her family has created a GoFundMe to support them as they navigate their grief and financial strain.
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