TUCSON, Ariz. — Prosecutors have decided to dismiss the case against the man whose girlfriend died following an incident between the two of them last month near Tucson.
Angelito Olivas, 25, was arrested for charges of felony domestic violence aggravated assault and felony endangerment in connection to the death of 22-year-old Zahriya Moreno. Officials say Olivas and Moreno had gotten into an argument and Moreno sustained severe injuries, resulting in Olivas taking her to a hospital.
News 4 Tucson recently reached out to the Pima County Attorney's Office and asked about the status of the charges against Olivas.
In response, the agency released the following statement:
“After a comprehensive and extensive meeting with Zahriya Moreno’s family, the Pima County Attorney’s Office has moved to dismiss the matter, so that further investigation and testing can be conducted in the case.
Dismissing a case without prejudice is a tool routinely used that allows law enforcement the time necessary to gather additional evidence to conduct a thorough investigation, especially in complex cases such as this.
In this case, the Sheriff’s Department is working on a number of assignments that will take some time, and our office anticipates another presentation of the case by the Sheriff’s Department in the future. Our goal is to ensure that our decisions in charging cases are made with all the information needed to provide a fair and just judicial process."
PCAO said they'll move to dismiss the matter without prejudice, which would allow prosecutors the chance to pursue charges at a later time.
UP TO SPEED
What is the Valley?:
“The Valley” is what locals call the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is considered the largest metropolitan area in the Southwest.
The Valley is made up of various major cities other than Phoenix, including:
- Mesa
- Chandler
- Scottsdale
- Tempe
- Glendale
- Surprise
- Peoria
- Gilbert
- El Mirage
- Avondale
- Litchfield Park
- Goodyear
- Buckeye
Whether a city is in the “East Valley” or “West Valley” depends on where it is in relation to Phoenix.
The cities of the Valley have a combined population of 4,845,832 people, according to the 2020 United States Census. This makes it the 11th largest metropolitan area in the country right behind the Boston and Atlanta areas.
How big is Maricopa County?
Maricopa County is the United States’ 4th largest county in terms of population with 4,485,414 people, according to the 2020 Census.
The county contains around 63% of Arizona’s population and is 9,224 square miles. That makes the county larger than seven U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).
One of the largest park systems in the nation is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks that includes hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers and campgrounds.
The county’s seat is located in Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the census-designated 5th most populous city in the United States.
The county was named after the Maricopa, or Piipaash, Native American Tribe.
