Illegal Immigrant Convicted in East Tennessee Court for Murdering Girlfriend Before Sleeping Next to Body

Jose Angel Rios Ramirez, who a county official described as an illegal immigrant, was convicted on Tuesday for the 2022 murder of Olivia Jarquin Pena in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

In a Facebook post, Hamilton County District Attorney Coty Wamp shared that Rios Ramirez was convicted by a Hamilton County jury on Tuesday, describing the victory for prosecutors as one of many “cases that no one ever hears about.”

According to Fox Chattanooga, Rios Ramirez admitted to the Chattanooga Police Department in August 2022 that he had been arguing with Jarquin Pena while out drinking, and that the fight became physical once they returned their shared address.

Rios Ramirez reportedly told investigators that he strangled Pena from behind, and admitted that he continued to strangle Pena until she stopped communicating. Rios Ramirez then claimed he slept next to Pena’s body, and that he only discovered she died as the result of his actions the following morning.

He ultimately told police that the argument started after Pena became “upset with him over his involvement with other women,” according to the outlet.

Following the conviction, Wamp wrote, “Oliva was a young woman with her whole life ahead of her. Assistant District Attorneys Aaron Chaplin and Andrew Basler fought for Oliva as a victim of domestic violence who unfortunately was not able to fight for herself. They represented the State of Tennessee well and I am so very proud of their commitment to this case. Because of their work, Oliva did not fall through the cracks.”

The district attorney then noted Rios Ramirez (pictured above) was in the United States illegally.

“The defendant shouldn’t have even been in our country— much less committing violent crimes against women,” wrote Wamp.

A report published earlier this year by the Tennessee District Attorneys General Conference revealed more than 2,700 incidents of illegal immigrants being arrested or convicted during the final months of 2024, including 124 arrests or convictions in Hamilton County.

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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].