Two young girls were found dead in Arizona after their father reportedly fatally shot them over the weekend before he turned the gun to himself. Court records also showed that the mother of the two children got a protective order from the children's father months before the killings.
The mother, Carmen Arismendez, accused the father and her ex-husband, Jerad Joseph Arismendez, of repeated harassment and violence. People reported that Phoenix police officials discovered the crime scene after Carmen called them to check on her daughters on Sunday evening. The two children were living with their mother but were with their father over the weekend as they visited him.
Before Carmen called officials to check on the welfare of the children and her former husband, a neighbor of Jerad called 911 to say that he heard gunshots. The children were identified as five-year-old Audrey and four-year-old Ariah. Audrey and Jerad were declared dead at the scene while Ariah was still taken to a hospital before she succumbed to her injuries. Audrey reportedly just started kindergarten and Ariah was set to go join her sister in school.
The order of protection was filed by Carmen and received by Jerad on June. The documents said that Jerad had violent tendencies and obsessive behavior. He reportedly put Carmen in a choke hold at one point. She also alleged that Jerad would call her 50 times in a day. Carmen filed for divorce in May, AZ Family reported.
As per the criminal history report of Jerad, he pleaded guilty to two separate incidents of disorderly conduct in Avondale, Arizona in 2006. In 2013, he was charged with assault and criminal damage but these were dismissed.
A GoFundMe page was set up for the funeral costs for the two children. The page has raised more than $10,000 as of late.
