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Families gathered at Wilshire Park Elementary School Friday evening to mourn the jarring loss of third-grade teacher Mayra Jimenez, who prosecutors allege was killed by her firefighter husband at their North Hollywood home.
Many tears were shed as children, parents and friends remembered “Miss Mayra” – the devoted 46-year-old educator whose violent death has devastated the Koreatown school community.
Mayra’s husband, Andrew Jimenez, 45, was arrested Wednesday and charged with murder friday, according to the L.A. County district attorney’s office. If convicted as charged, he faces 26 years to life in prison.
The crowd at the vigil was so large it overflowed into the street facing the school, where a pile of flowers and prayer candles were laid down to create a memorial for the slain teacher.
Los Angeles mourns Mayra Jimenez, a beloved teacher found dead in her North Hollywood home Wednesday morning. Her husband, Andrew Jimenez, a Glendale firefighter, has been arrested and charged with her murder.
“Mayra was an activist, an advocate, a leader, a friend, and most of all a beloved teacher,” said Cecily Myart-cruz, president of United teachers Los Angeles. “Her love for her students was paramount, and she worked hard, stayed late, and always led by example.”
police discovered Jimenez’s body after conducting a wellness check requested by her husband. Investigators allege Andrew Jimenez killed her with an ax.
According to an attorney representing Andrew Jimenez’s family, he reportedly read a diary entry detailing his wife’s infidelity shortly before the killing. ABC7 reported on the family’s account.
Andrew Jimenez has been a firefighter and paramedic with the Glendale Fire Department since 2008 and is currently on administrative leave.
“The domestic violence death of Mayra Jimenez is a devastating reminder of the persistent scourge of intimate partner violence in our communities,” L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement. “No one,including those sworn to protect others,is above the law,and we will hold the defendant accountable for this horrific crime and bring justice to Ms. Jimenez and her loved ones.”
