On the night of August 22, 2024, 35-year-old Ariana Ramos Chavez was shot multiple times in the upper body and killed at her Lilac Street home in Rexburg, Idaho. The shooting followed a heated domestic dispute between Chavez and her live-in partner, 32-year-old Fabian Hernandez, reportedly over infidelity and Hernandez’s drug use. Chavez had demanded that Hernandez leave; he then retrieved a handgun he had purchased through a Facebook group and shot her near the front stairs.

At least one of Chavez’s children returned home to find their mother’s body and Hernandez standing nearby with the gun; another child reportedly overheard the argument and saw Hernandez get the weapon before hearing the shots. Rexburg officers arrived around 11:15 p.m. and found Hernandez; he surrendered and was taken into custody appearing under the influence. A glass methamphetamine pipe was found during booking and Hernandez later admitted heavy methamphetamine use.

Fabian Hernandez was initially charged with first-degree murder, felony possession of a controlled substance, and misdemeanor drug paraphernalia. On December 16, 2024, he pleaded guilty to an amended charge of second-degree murder, admitting he killed Ariana Ramos Chavez without premeditation; the other charges were dismissed and sentencing is pending. Did anyone in Rexburg know Ariana or have information about the events that night?