A Southern California couple has been sentenced to prison for the murder of a woman who was one of their former lovers.
A jury convicted Margarita Jimenez, 34, of Oxnard, and Jorge Garvia, 38, of Ventura, of murdering Yanelli Vargas, 35, according to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.
On March 17, 2024, Oxnard Police responded to a fight outside a business near East Woolley Road and Industrial Street shortly before midnight. During the 911 call, a gunshot was heard.
Authorities said the victim, Vargas, was lured outside an Oxnard bar after receiving a text message from Jarfias, who was her ex-boyfriend.
Jimenez said at the time that she was angry after seeing text messages and photos that gave her the impression that her boyfriend and Vargas had resumed the relationship. The Ventura County Star reported.
“I felt angry, I felt betrayed, I felt lied to,” Jimenez said in court during her testimony.
Jimenez and her boyfriend headed to the nightclub and eventually lured Vargas into her boyfriend’s truck that night.
He drove a half-mile from the bar to a nearby parking lot where Jimenez claimed she wanted to know the truth about “what was really going on” between them. At some point, the discussion became heated and the argument escalated into a physical altercation.
Vargas tried to get away from the couple, but authorities said they continued to follow her in their truck.
Jimenez was captured on surveillance footage getting out of the truck and running after Vargas with a gun before shooting her once in the chest. She tried to fire a second time, but the gun jammed. She and her boyfriend fled the scene before officers arrived.
Police found Vargas with a gunshot wound to the torso. She was taken to the hospital where she later died.
At the scene, investigators found a trace of blood, a spent 9mm shell casing, and acrylic nails that were later matched to Jimenez at the time of her arrest. A yellow rope stained with blood was also found near the victim.
An autopsy confirmed that Vargas died from a gunshot wound to the chest, and also suffered multiple blunt force injuries and signs of strangulation.
Jimenez and Garfias were arrested on April 3, 2024, and charged with the crimes the next day.
On September 5, 2025, the District Attorney’s Office announced that Jimenez was convicted of first-degree murder. On October 21, she was sentenced to 80 years in prison. Specific allegations found to be true for Jimenez include:
- Personal and intentional discharge of a firearm
- Previous serious or violent felony
- Previous serious crime
- The crime involved a great deal of violence
- The defendant has engaged in violent behavior
- The accused was armed with a weapon and used it
- The defendant’s prior convictions as an adult are numerous or of increasing severity
- The accused must have spent a previous period in prison
Her boyfriend, Jarfias, was convicted of first-degree murder. The specific accusations included that the crime involved a great deal of violence and that he took advantage of his position of trust. On October 21, he was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.
“Lianelli’s family and friends addressed the court and described their suffering and how the defendants’ acts of violence had devastated their lives,” said Hela Schneier, the Ventura County District Attorney who prosecuted the case. “Although no sentence can undo the damage done or bring back Llanelli, we hope the court’s decision to impose the maximum sentences will provide a measure of justice and a sense of closure as they continue to grieve and heal.”