PHOENIX, AZ (August 10, 2011) – Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery says his office will seek the death penalty against Jose Luis Gonzalez-Dominguez (D.O.B. 2/27/90), who faces First Degree Murder and felony Child Abuse charges for the death of 4 year-old Anays “Annie” Carimbocas. Annie’s death on May 14, 2011 was caused by blunt force trauma, according to the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office. A trial date has not yet been set.
“The decision to seek the death penalty is the most serious decision any County Attorney can make. In any given case, I weigh the appropriateness of the death penalty and then determine whether the death penalty is a just punishment for the crime committed,” said Montgomery. “In this case, if the State successfully proves beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty as charged, the jury will then have the duty to consider imposition of the death penalty,” he added.
According to police reports, early on the morning of May 14, 2011 Annie’s mother, Crystal Shatell Carimbocas, called 911 to report that her daughter was having difficulty breathing. Fire and police units responded to the Mesa apartment shared by Crystal, Gonzalez-Dominguez, and 4 children under 11 years of age. Annie was found lifeless lying on the bathroom sink. She was transported to Cardon Children’s Medical Center and pronounced dead at approximately 2:00 a.m.
On June 10, 2011, Jose Luis Gonzalez-Dominguez was charged with one felony count of First Degree Murder, three Class 2 counts of felony Child Abuse, and two Class 4 felony counts of Child Abuse. Gonzalez-Dominguez is currently being held without bond.
Crystal Carimbocas was charged with one felony count of First Degree Murder and two Class 2 felony counts of Child Abuse; she is in custody on a $500,000 bond.
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