Santa Fe jury convicts woman in wrong-way crash that killed officer, retired firefighter

SANTA FE — A jury found Jeannine Jaramillo guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and other crimes Thursday for her actions in a 2022 wrong-way crash that killed a Santa Fe police officer and a retired firefighter.

The Santa Fe jury deliberated about four hours before finding Jaramillo, 49, responsible for leading police in a wrong-way chase on Interstate 25 near Santa Fe, leading to the fatal head-on collision.

Killed in the crash were 43-year-old Santa Fe police officer Robert Duran and 62-year-old Frank Lovato, a retired firefighter from Las Vegas, N.M.

The 1st Judicial District Court jury also found Jaramillo guilty of great bodily injury by vehicle, aggravated fleeing from police, reckless driving and making a false police report.

Each first-degree murder conviction requires her to serve at least 30 years in prison before she is eligible for parole. Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer has not scheduled a sentencing hearing.

After the verdict was announced, District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies said justice had been served.

“We’re so relieved we were able to get justice for the victims,” Carmack-Altwies told reporters outside the courthouse. “The case was tight against (Jaramillo) and it could not have gone better for our prosecution team.”

The district attorney also said the verdict brought some relief to family members of the victims, more than two years after the incident occurred.

“I think they’re glad they got the outcome their family members deserved,” Carmack-Altwies said.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Jennifer Padgett Macias told jurors during the five-day trial that Jaramillo initiated the pursuit by falsely telling a bystander to call 911 because a man in her car had taken her hostage.

When police arrived at Vizcaya Apartments, 2500 Sawmill Road in Santa Fe, in response to the 911 call. Jaramillo led officers on a reckless high-speed chase, first on Santa Fe streets, then onto I-25, prosecutors said.

Jurors viewed dramatic police dash-camera video showing Jaramillo driving 90 mph the wrong way on I-25 in a stolen Chevrolet Malibu with officers in pursuit. Drivers on the busy stretch of I-25 southeast of Santa Fe swerved and pulled over to avoid head-on collisions.

Jurors also viewed video of the fatal collision. Lovato avoided the oncoming Malibu but crashed head-on with Duran’s marked police car. Both men died at the scene.

The pursuit ended when the Malibu collided with a heavy GMC truck that disabled the Malibu. Two officers testified that they saw Jaramillo crawl out of the driver’s side window, then claim that a boyfriend named Mark Lopez had held her captive and forced her to flee police.

During the trial, Jaramillo’s attorney, David Silva, questioned whether officers had followed police protocols by pursuing the Malibu at high speed. Officers responded that the pursuit was justified because they believed that a man had taken a woman hostage and that her life was in danger.

Carmack-Altwies said in closing arguments Thursday that the actions of police officers in no way justifies Jaramillo’s actions.

“If a firefighter goes into a burning building and dies, do we blame the firefighter or the arsonist?” Carmack-Altwies told jurors.