On January 16, 2014 the Cochise County Superior Court Grand Jury issued an indictment against Gil Gaxiola, age 33, for an assault on a Park Service employee in August 2013.
On August 28, 2013 Karen Gonzales, an employee at the Chiricahua National Monument National Park Service, was assaulted by an unidentified subject who used a large rock to inflict serious and life threatening injuries. Gonzales suffered significant injuries and was air lifted to and hospitalized at the University Medical Center in Tucson. At the time, Gonzales’s assigned work vehicle, a silver 2009 Dodge truck, was taken from the scene by the suspect and later recovered in Douglas.
The vehicle was processed for evidence by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Evidence Team and items of evidentiary value were released to Cochise County Sheriff’s Detectives and then turned into the Arizona Dept of Public Safety Laboratory for further analysis.
On December 30, 2013 the AZ DPS Lab reported scientific testing was conducted on items from the stolen vehicle which resulted in a match when checked against a national database. Local, State and Federal Agencies were notified of the identification of a possible suspect in this case and information was developed indicating that the person identified as Gaxiola was currently in Federal custody.
The Cochise County Sheriff’s Office learned that Gaxiola was apprehended in Douglas on August 29, 2013 by United States Border Patrol. The stolen vehicle was recovered by Sheriff’s Deputies on August 28, 2013 approximately three blocks away from where the suspect was apprehended.
On January 3, 2014 additional items were submitted to the DPS lab and on January 8, 2014 the lab confirmed a match with the evidence previously submitted with Gaxiola.
The Cochise County Superior Court Grand Jury issued an indictment on the following charges:
1) Attempted 1st Degree Murder
2) Attempted 2nd Degree Murder
3) Armed Robbery
4) Aggravated Assault (x 3 counts)
5) Kidnapping
6) Theft of Means of Transportation
The Cochise County Attorney’s Office is working closely with the Sheriff’s Office in the prosecution preparation for this case and the suspect will be transported to Cochise County to appear in court on these charges in the near future.
Sheriff Mark Dannels said today, “We are extremely proud of our employees who put so much time and effort into tracking down this suspect who had the audacity to coldly and callously beat a federal employee almost to death before blatantly using her vehicle to go to a fast food drive thru. This suspect undoubtedly has little concern for our laws or our citizens as evidenced by his senseless actions and we look forward to adjudicating this case in a court of law for the peace of the victim and her family as well as the satisfaction that we will have knowing a violent offender is off of the streets. I would like to also thank all of the State and Federal agencies for their assistance in this case and I look forward to their continued support and cooperation. The Gonzales family appreciates all of the kind thoughts and prayers and would like to maintain their privacy during this very stressful time.”