LARRY HENDRICKS Assistant City Editor | Posted: Wednesday, July 28, 2010 5:05 am | (0) Comments
The 7-year-old son of Maria Montes has now had both of his parents taken away from him through violence.
The boy's father, Kyle Garcia, was shot and killed by anti-gang enforcement officers in Sunnyside during a traffic stop in the summer of 2006. The officers were eventually cleared in the shooting after Yavapai County investigators determined the shooting to be justified.
Montes, on behalf of her son and other members of Garcia's family, joined a wrongful-death lawsuit against the Flagstaff Police Department, the city and the state in the wake of Garcia's death. The case is still active and has not been resolved.
The boy's status is unknown at this time, but he has a large, extended family in the city to provide assistance to him.
The mother of Maria Montes told Flagstaff police detectives that she had spoken with her daughter about leaving her boyfriend because he had been getting "physical" with her.
And neighbors remarked to investigators how they often heard arguments coming from the home where Montes, 27, lived.
Now, the boyfriend, Carlos A. Ratcliff-Barreras, 22, a convicted felon who has done prison time for having his dogs attack a police officer responding to a previous domestic disturbance report, is accused of murdering Montes.
She leaves a 7-year-old son, and her death is one of four domestic violence homicides in Flagstaff in the last two years.
WARNING SIGNS
Montes, 27, was discovered in her Sunnyside home on North Center Street at about 12:30 p.m. Sunday, according to police reports.
She had suffered a puncture wound to her neck, and she died at the hospital a short time later.
Police had been called to the residence by Ratcliff-Barreras, who told dispatchers that Montes had fallen in the shower and was bleeding from her neck. He claimed he had to knock down the bathroom door after an argument and found Montes bleeding from her neck and asking for help.
Police investigators booked bloody clothing and a metal kitchen knife into evidence, according to reports.
According to police reports, neighbors were used to hearing arguments coming from the home in which Montes lived.
According to police reports, one neighbor "stated he was in his back yard when he heard the neighbors who live in (Montes' home) arguing, but stated this was nothing new.
"He stated they always are fighting. He stated they usually get in an argument and one of them leaves and then they come back and argue and then it gets quiet."
The mother of Montes, when she was notified of her daughter's death, told detectives that she had recently talked to Montes about leaving the relationship with Ratcliff-Barreras because he was getting physical with her and the two were drinking larger quantities of alcohol when together.
After the incident, Ratcliff-Barreras was taken to the police department for questioning. Later, Ratcliff-Barreras was booked into the county jail on charges of second-degree murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, criminal damage and disorderly conduct. All of the charges are domestic violence-related.
Ratcliff-Barreras is being held in the county jail in lieu of $1 million bond.
PRIOR DV CONTACT
Ratcliff-Barreras has had contact before with police on domestic violence-related issues. According to police reports, Ratcliff-Barreras was arrested in February 2008 after police responded to a home to investigate a domestic disturbance.
The call was of a verbal fight between an apparently drunk man and his ex-girlfriend. Police had to chase the man, and during the chase, the man called and whistled for his two dogs to attack police.
The dogs attacked, and an officer had to fend off the dogs with kicks and blows from his flashlight. Ratcliff-Barreras pleaded guilty to a 2006 charge of aggravated assault and one count of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer from the 2008 incident.
He did prison time -- more than a year -- until his release in May 2009, according to the Arizona Department of Corrections website.
Daily Sun Reporter Hillary Davis contributed to this report. Larry Hendricks can be reached at lhendricks@azdailysun.com or 556-2262.
Surviving son's parents both died violently
The 7-year-old son of Maria Montes has now had both of his parents taken away from him through violence.
The boy's father, Kyle Garcia, was shot and killed by anti-gang enforcement officers in Sunnyside during a traffic stop in the summer of 2006. The officers were eventually cleared in the shooting after Yavapai County investigators determined the shooting to be justified.
Montes, on behalf of her son and other members of Garcia's family, joined a wrongful-death lawsuit against the Flagstaff Police Department, the city and the state in the wake of Garcia's death. The case is still active and has not been resolved.
The boy's status is unknown at this time, but he has a large, extended family in the city to provide assistance to him.
-- Larry Hendricks, Sun staff reporter
Domestic violence on rise
In the last two years, there have been four domestic violence deaths in Flagstaff. Two were murder-suicides reported in 2009, involving couples not from the area. The last murder-suicide, in April, was between a Flagstaff husband and wife who had been experiencing marital difficulties.
The deaths came as the city experienced a marked increase in reports of domestic violence. Police officials cite a number of reasons for the increase -- including increased community awareness, a broader classification standard for the crime, and the financial pressures on families from the economic recession.
After a reduction in DV incidents reported citywide in 2008, DV incidents in 2009 exceeded 2007 numbers, according to police department statistics. Police officials continue to see the major driving force in DV incidents is substance abuse.
In 2009, the county put together a Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team to identify gaps in service available to victims of domestic violence and come up with solutions on how to fill those gaps.
Along with the fatality review team, Northern Arizona University hosts a national clearinghouse of information on domestic violence deaths called the National Domestic Violence Fatality Review Initiative. Local, state and regional service agencies can access the information in order to attempt to reduce rates of family violence.
-- Larry Hendricks, Sun staff reporter
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