Dec. 10—Months after she was accused of leading police on a chase that resulted in a fatal crash on Interstate 25, Jeannine Jaramillo sent a letter to New Mexico State Police apologizing for “a multitude of bad decisions.”
But she denied she was responsible for murder in the March 2022 incident. “I was scared, on drugs and never thought for one second that running away would have resulted in this situation,” she wrote.
State police Sgt. Wyatt Harwell, who investigated the case, read Jaramillo’s letter in state District Court in Santa Fe on Tuesday, the third day of her jury trial on two charges of first-degree murder and other counts.
Prosecutors allege Jaramillo faked her kidnapping and prompted an ill-fated chase in a stolen car, first in the city of Santa Fe and then on the interstate, where she and several officers headed north and then made a U-turn and began driving south in the northbound lanes. Santa Fe police Officer Robert Duran and retired Las Vegas, N.M., firefighter Frank Lovato died after colliding head on near the Old Pecos Trail exit of I-25.
Jaramillo told officers after the crash a man who had been holding her hostage at knifepoint in the vehicle had fled from the scene; however, police said she was the only person in the car.
Harwell said Jaramillo’s letter was sent to state police headquarters about six months after the incident. While she offers an apology in the letter, she also holds Duran and other officers accountable, writing, “I don’t know why this high-speed chase was not called off, why officer Duran chose to drive into oncoming traffic the wrong way towards retired fireman Mr. Lovato.”
The letter begins, “I’d like to say I’m sorry to Officer Duran and retired fireman Mr. Lovato, family, friends and loved ones who have been affected greatly by this tragic accident,” Jaramillo’s letter says. “My heart, thoughts and prayers go out to all of them during this difficult time, those men who lost their lives that fateful day due to a … multitude of bad decisions, actions, reactions on all our parts that sadly and regretfully resulted in them both losing their lives.
“I thank God every day that no one else, including myself, was killed or harmed due to the poor decisions made by myself as well as Officer Duran and the other men on that horrible day,” Jaramillo wrote.
Santa Fe police officers have testified they continued the pursuit because they believed Jaramillo was being held hostage in the car and her life was on the line.
Jaramillo’s letter continues: “I am being portrayed as a heartless, bad drug addict criminal with very little regard for human life, and that is absolutely false. I am a kind, caring, loving, God-fearing widow and mother of five children and seven grandchildren, struggling to understand why God has chosen this trial and tribulation for us in this life. I have never knowingly or actively participated in hurting anyone, doing things that would, without doubt, harm or, God forbid, kill another person, animal or any living creature in all the days of my life.”
Chief Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Padgett Macias noted Jaramillo admitted in the letter to driving “recklessly” and indicated she was guilty of crimes.
Padgett Macias highlighted two sentences from the letter on a poster board she displayed for jurors:
* “I was in a stolen car and running from law enforcement, none of which are good choices or decisions, I admit that fully.”
* “I am not an innocent party that should walk away without proper punishment for my crimes.”
Harwell told the court Jaramillo’s letter was the first time she had admitted to being the driver of the white Chevrolet Malibu during the police chase.
Jaramillo initially told officers a man named Mark Lopez had been driving the car and she had been curled up on the floorboard, Harwell said.
But photos of the Malibu taken after the crash showed the car’s passenger seat, floorboard and backseat were filled with clothes, garbage and other items, leaving no room for anyone besides a driver.
Hours after incident, investigators began to suspect Jaramillo was fabricating her allegations a man had kidnapped her, poured gasoline on her and held her at knifepoint while fleeing from police.
Harwell testified Tuesday he was “about 50-50” on whether or not he believed Jaramillo when he began an interview with her on the evening of the incident. But during the interview, played for jurors Tuesday, she contradicted previous statements she had made and could not provide any verifiable information about a man named Mark Lopez, who she said had held her hostage.
In the video, Harwell and another officer ask Jaramillo if she is friends with Lopez on Facebook, and she says she was but he had unfriended her after an argument.
“When I go out and tell the world, ‘This is what she said,’ they’re going to laugh at me and say, ‘How convenient,’ ” Harwell tells her.
He said in court Tuesday he had become increasingly skeptical about her story.
“It became more and more evident that she was being less than truthful in her statement,” Harwell said. “More and more things weren’t lining up.”
Family members of Duran and Lovato have attended each day of the trial, which began Friday and is scheduled to last through the rest of the week. A crew from the national television network Court TV was filming the proceeding Tuesday.