March 26, 2025 • 9 mins
In California, a mother is accused of killing her young son during a custody visit.
In North Carolina, a man was charged with first-degree murder after a woman was found dead in a hotel room.
In Arizona, a man has been charged with murder after his brother was found gunned down in the driveway of his home.
Consider joining PLUS+ at swordandscale.com/plus
In North Carolina, a man was charged with first-degree murder after a woman was found dead in a hotel room.
In Arizona, a man has been charged with murder after his brother was found gunned down in the driveway of his home.
Consider joining PLUS+ at swordandscale.com/plus
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, and welcome back to Sword and Scale Daily, a
daily show covering all things true crime, five days a week.
It's Wednesday, March twenty sixth. I'm your host, Ryan Williams.
In California, a mother is accused of killing her young
son during a custody visit. In North Carolina, a man
(00:22):
was charged with first degree murder after a woman was
found dead in a hotel room. And in Arizona, a
man has been charged with murder after his brother was
found gunned down in the driveway of his home. All
of this coming at you right now here on Sword
and Scale Daily. On Wednesday, March nineteenth, at around nine
(00:47):
to fifteen am, officers with the Santa Anna Police Department
in California were dispatched to the La Quinta and In
suites near the Orange County Airport after a woman called
nine one one and reported that she had killed her son.
When respawning officers arrived on the scene, they made their
way to the hotel room and made contact with the
reporting party, that being forty eight year old Sartha Ramarju.
(01:09):
Siritha was detained at that time while officers went into
the room to check on what she had reported. When
officers made their way inside, they found a young boy
on the bed who appeared to be deceased from sharp
force injuries. Detectives as well as the county corner responded
to the hotel to start a death investigation. The victim
was later identified as eleven year old Yeten Ramaju. While
(01:31):
awaiting the response from detectives, officers learned that Sarita had
ingested pills, likely in an effort to commit suicide. After
allegedly killing her own son. She was rushed to a
local area hospital to receive treatment. When detectives arrived on
the scene and started looking into this tragic murder, they
spoke with the victim's father and learned about the relationship
between the victim and the suspect. It turns out that
(01:52):
Serita had actually been living in Virginia and was only
visiting California specifically for this custody visit. She was granted
visitation from Friday, March fourteenth, until Wednesday, when Yeteen was
allegedly killed. Soriita's plan for the visitation was to take
a three day trip to Disneyland, the happiest place on Earth.
This was evident as the souvenirs from the Disneyland trip
(02:14):
were lying on the bed surrounding Yeteen's body when he
was found. Once Surita was released from the hospital, she
was booked into the Orange County Jail. She was ultimately
charged with one felony account of murder and one felony
enhancement of personal use of a weapon. After the charges
were announced, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer had the
following to say, quote, the life of a child should
(02:35):
not hang in the balance between two parents whose anger
for each other outweighs the love for their child. If
new details in the case become available, we'll be sure
to bring you an update. On Monday, March seventeenth, at
around twelve forty five pm, officers with the Smithfield Police
Department in North Carolina responded to the Beaymont Inn on
(02:57):
the one hundred block of South Equity Drive after a
woman was discovered unresponsive. When responding officers arrived on the
scene and made their way to the hotel room, they
found that the woman was beyond help and was pronounced
dead at the scene. By all indications, it appeared as
if the victim had sustained multiple sharp force injuries consistent
with the homicidal attack. The victim was later identified as
(03:18):
Sandra Juarez. And then when detectives and crime scene technicians
arrived at the hotel and started processing the crime scene,
they found something that stuck out like a sore thumb.
It was a severed finger, and well, the victim had
all ten of her fingers attached, so whoever this finger
belonged to was likely the person responsible for the alleged
murder of Sandra. And with that finger, detectives were able
(03:41):
to run the print through the system and a returned
back to one fifty year old Eric Nelson of Smithfield. Fortunately,
detectives also had Eric's information from his vehicle, as surveillance
footae from the hotel captured his departure. Based on the
information that detectives received, they believed that Eric had fled
the state of North Carolina, and as such, they contacted
(04:01):
agencies in the surrounding states, including South Carolina and Virginia.
On Tuesday morning, a flock camera in Virginia captured Eric
driving on the highway. He was swiftly located and captured
without incident. Eric was then booked into the South Side
Regional Jail in Emporia. That same day, detectives from Smithfield
(04:22):
drove to the South Side Regional Jail armed with a warrant,
charging Eric Nelson with first degree murder. He's expected to
be extradited to North Carolina in the coming days. Once
Eric was formally charged, Smithfield Police Chief Pete Hendrick had
the following to say, quote from witnesses on the scene,
surveillance video at the hotel, intelligence from our FLOCK program,
(04:43):
to the undeniable physical evidence left on the scene, we
filled one hundred percent confident that we have the right
person in custody. Through intense investigative efforts and working with
our partners in law enforcement, we were able to quickly
take Nelson into custody. This attack appears to have been unprovoked.
What motivated Nelson to commit this horrible crime remains under investigation.
The crime was so brutal that during the attack, it
(05:04):
appears that Nelson severed his own finger, which was left
at the scene. The SBI was able to positively identify
the finger recovered at the scene. As Nelson's detectives are
still investigating the circumstances that led to Sandra's death. If
and when new details are released, We'll be sure to
bring you an update. On Friday, March twenty first, at
(05:26):
around eight am, police officers in Phoenix, Arizona, were dispatched
to the Arcadian neighborhood near forty fourth Street in Camelback
Road after receiving reports of shots fired. Once responding officers
had arrived on the scene, they found a man unresponsive
in the driveway of his home. Officers began rendering first
state until ems arrived. Unfortunately it'd be too late. The
(05:48):
man was pronounced dead and later identified as fifty one
year old James Eves, a local area attorney. When investigators
arrived at the scene, they spoke with neighbors who recalled
hearing the gunshots a short while earlier. Fortunately, one neighborh
haad surveillance footage of the alleged shooting taking place. That
footage was crucial in helping investigators identify a potential suspect
(06:08):
in the case, that being forty nine year old Christopher Eves,
the younger brother of the victim, and in most cases,
law enforcement is usually the one who has to go
out and look for the suspect, but in this instance,
Christopher came to them just a short while after the
crime scene was taped off, Christopher showed up to James's
home with his family members. Local media who were at
(06:30):
the scene captured officers detaining Christopher for further questioning. Ultimately,
Christopher would be charged with first degree murder for the
death of his brother. Now we don't know if the
alleged suspect has been cooperating with investigators, but we do
know there were some dramatic scenes in the courtroom on
Saturday during his arraignment hearing. Prosecutors handling the investigations started
(06:51):
by opining their belief that Christopher poses a significant risk
to the community if released. One prosecutor stated, quote the defender,
it went over to the victim's house early yesterday morning
and shot the victim and fired multiple shots. He then
returned to the house with his parents, and Phoenix police
found multiple loaded weapons in the defendant's car. It's the
states belief that the defendant poses a risk to the
(07:13):
community as well as the family in this case. With
all of that said, prosecutors also asked that Christopher be
given a no contact order with the victim's family, which
poses an interesting situation because you know, he's the brother
of the victim. Christopher then yelled at the judge, quote,
the next kin of the victim, the mother and father.
They're my mother and father. That is the address of
(07:34):
my driver's license. That's where I've lived for a very
long time. As you might imagine, this didn't please the judge,
who then sharply replied, quote, this is not a debate.
Mister Johnson is speaking. You don't speak at the same
time he is speaking. The judge did go on to
issue the no contact order and then gave Christopher a
bond of one point five million dollars. In the event
(07:56):
that Christopher is able to post his bond, he will
be allowed to go to his family's home to get
his belongings. But you know, with a deputy present, Christopher
would also be required to wear an inkle monitor moving forward.
As we mentioned, James was a well known attorney in
the area, and as such, his death affected his colleagues
pretty hard. The Maricopa County Attorney's Office, where James once worked,
(08:19):
released the following statement, quote, James Already Eves was a
dear friend and a colleague to so many of us
at the Maricopa County Attorney's Office. Today's tragedy has not
yet sunk in, but one thing is for certain. James
will be missed. We are praying for his parents, his wife,
and his children. We would ask that others do the same.
(08:40):
The investigation in this case is still ongoing as investigators
look for a motive as to why Christopher allegedly killed
his brother. If and when new details become available, we'll
be sure to bring you an update. Thanks so much
for tuning in for today's episode of Sword and Scale Daily.
I'm your host, Ryan Williams, and we'll see you back
here tomorrow. Borrow
Hello, and welcome back to Sword and Scale Daily, a
daily show covering all things true crime, five days a week.
It's Wednesday, March twenty sixth. I'm your host, Ryan Williams.
In California, a mother is accused of killing her young
son during a custody visit. In North Carolina, a man
(00:22):
was charged with first degree murder after a woman was
found dead in a hotel room. And in Arizona, a
man has been charged with murder after his brother was
found gunned down in the driveway of his home. All
of this coming at you right now here on Sword
and Scale Daily. On Wednesday, March nineteenth, at around nine
(00:47):
to fifteen am, officers with the Santa Anna Police Department
in California were dispatched to the La Quinta and In
suites near the Orange County Airport after a woman called
nine one one and reported that she had killed her son.
When respawning officers arrived on the scene, they made their
way to the hotel room and made contact with the
reporting party, that being forty eight year old Sartha Ramarju.
(01:09):
Siritha was detained at that time while officers went into
the room to check on what she had reported. When
officers made their way inside, they found a young boy
on the bed who appeared to be deceased from sharp
force injuries. Detectives as well as the county corner responded
to the hotel to start a death investigation. The victim
was later identified as eleven year old Yeten Ramaju. While
(01:31):
awaiting the response from detectives, officers learned that Sarita had
ingested pills, likely in an effort to commit suicide. After
allegedly killing her own son. She was rushed to a
local area hospital to receive treatment. When detectives arrived on
the scene and started looking into this tragic murder, they
spoke with the victim's father and learned about the relationship
between the victim and the suspect. It turns out that
(01:52):
Serita had actually been living in Virginia and was only
visiting California specifically for this custody visit. She was granted
visitation from Friday, March fourteenth, until Wednesday, when Yeteen was
allegedly killed. Soriita's plan for the visitation was to take
a three day trip to Disneyland, the happiest place on Earth.
This was evident as the souvenirs from the Disneyland trip
(02:14):
were lying on the bed surrounding Yeteen's body when he
was found. Once Surita was released from the hospital, she
was booked into the Orange County Jail. She was ultimately
charged with one felony account of murder and one felony
enhancement of personal use of a weapon. After the charges
were announced, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer had the
following to say, quote, the life of a child should
(02:35):
not hang in the balance between two parents whose anger
for each other outweighs the love for their child. If
new details in the case become available, we'll be sure
to bring you an update. On Monday, March seventeenth, at
around twelve forty five pm, officers with the Smithfield Police
Department in North Carolina responded to the Beaymont Inn on
(02:57):
the one hundred block of South Equity Drive after a
woman was discovered unresponsive. When responding officers arrived on the
scene and made their way to the hotel room, they
found that the woman was beyond help and was pronounced
dead at the scene. By all indications, it appeared as
if the victim had sustained multiple sharp force injuries consistent
with the homicidal attack. The victim was later identified as
(03:18):
Sandra Juarez. And then when detectives and crime scene technicians
arrived at the hotel and started processing the crime scene,
they found something that stuck out like a sore thumb.
It was a severed finger, and well, the victim had
all ten of her fingers attached, so whoever this finger
belonged to was likely the person responsible for the alleged
murder of Sandra. And with that finger, detectives were able
(03:41):
to run the print through the system and a returned
back to one fifty year old Eric Nelson of Smithfield. Fortunately,
detectives also had Eric's information from his vehicle, as surveillance
footae from the hotel captured his departure. Based on the
information that detectives received, they believed that Eric had fled
the state of North Carolina, and as such, they contacted
(04:01):
agencies in the surrounding states, including South Carolina and Virginia.
On Tuesday morning, a flock camera in Virginia captured Eric
driving on the highway. He was swiftly located and captured
without incident. Eric was then booked into the South Side
Regional Jail in Emporia. That same day, detectives from Smithfield
(04:22):
drove to the South Side Regional Jail armed with a warrant,
charging Eric Nelson with first degree murder. He's expected to
be extradited to North Carolina in the coming days. Once
Eric was formally charged, Smithfield Police Chief Pete Hendrick had
the following to say, quote from witnesses on the scene,
surveillance video at the hotel, intelligence from our FLOCK program,
(04:43):
to the undeniable physical evidence left on the scene, we
filled one hundred percent confident that we have the right
person in custody. Through intense investigative efforts and working with
our partners in law enforcement, we were able to quickly
take Nelson into custody. This attack appears to have been unprovoked.
What motivated Nelson to commit this horrible crime remains under investigation.
The crime was so brutal that during the attack, it
(05:04):
appears that Nelson severed his own finger, which was left
at the scene. The SBI was able to positively identify
the finger recovered at the scene. As Nelson's detectives are
still investigating the circumstances that led to Sandra's death. If
and when new details are released, We'll be sure to
bring you an update. On Friday, March twenty first, at
(05:26):
around eight am, police officers in Phoenix, Arizona, were dispatched
to the Arcadian neighborhood near forty fourth Street in Camelback
Road after receiving reports of shots fired. Once responding officers
had arrived on the scene, they found a man unresponsive
in the driveway of his home. Officers began rendering first
state until ems arrived. Unfortunately it'd be too late. The
(05:48):
man was pronounced dead and later identified as fifty one
year old James Eves, a local area attorney. When investigators
arrived at the scene, they spoke with neighbors who recalled
hearing the gunshots a short while earlier. Fortunately, one neighborh
haad surveillance footage of the alleged shooting taking place. That
footage was crucial in helping investigators identify a potential suspect
(06:08):
in the case, that being forty nine year old Christopher Eves,
the younger brother of the victim, and in most cases,
law enforcement is usually the one who has to go
out and look for the suspect, but in this instance,
Christopher came to them just a short while after the
crime scene was taped off, Christopher showed up to James's
home with his family members. Local media who were at
(06:30):
the scene captured officers detaining Christopher for further questioning. Ultimately,
Christopher would be charged with first degree murder for the
death of his brother. Now we don't know if the
alleged suspect has been cooperating with investigators, but we do
know there were some dramatic scenes in the courtroom on
Saturday during his arraignment hearing. Prosecutors handling the investigations started
(06:51):
by opining their belief that Christopher poses a significant risk
to the community if released. One prosecutor stated, quote the defender,
it went over to the victim's house early yesterday morning
and shot the victim and fired multiple shots. He then
returned to the house with his parents, and Phoenix police
found multiple loaded weapons in the defendant's car. It's the
states belief that the defendant poses a risk to the
(07:13):
community as well as the family in this case. With
all of that said, prosecutors also asked that Christopher be
given a no contact order with the victim's family, which
poses an interesting situation because you know, he's the brother
of the victim. Christopher then yelled at the judge, quote,
the next kin of the victim, the mother and father.
They're my mother and father. That is the address of
(07:34):
my driver's license. That's where I've lived for a very
long time. As you might imagine, this didn't please the judge,
who then sharply replied, quote, this is not a debate.
Mister Johnson is speaking. You don't speak at the same
time he is speaking. The judge did go on to
issue the no contact order and then gave Christopher a
bond of one point five million dollars. In the event
(07:56):
that Christopher is able to post his bond, he will
be allowed to go to his family's home to get
his belongings. But you know, with a deputy present, Christopher
would also be required to wear an inkle monitor moving forward.
As we mentioned, James was a well known attorney in
the area, and as such, his death affected his colleagues
pretty hard. The Maricopa County Attorney's Office, where James once worked,
(08:19):
released the following statement, quote, James Already Eves was a
dear friend and a colleague to so many of us
at the Maricopa County Attorney's Office. Today's tragedy has not
yet sunk in, but one thing is for certain. James
will be missed. We are praying for his parents, his wife,
and his children. We would ask that others do the same.
(08:40):
The investigation in this case is still ongoing as investigators
look for a motive as to why Christopher allegedly killed
his brother. If and when new details become available, we'll
be sure to bring you an update. Thanks so much
for tuning in for today's episode of Sword and Scale Daily.
I'm your host, Ryan Williams, and we'll see you back
here tomorrow. Borrow
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