Julio Machado Vasquez entered the plea on Nov. 10 to first-degree murder and to failing to stop on a police officer's signal, resulting in bodily harm or death, according to court records. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 7, 2027, at 9 a.m.

The shooting occurred on Jan. 19, 2025. According to an arrest report, Vasquez told a friend that he had accidentally shot his girlfriend and refused to take her to a hospital. Police said he then drove for nearly two hours with the mortally wounded woman in the vehicle.

Officers eventually spotted Vasquez's car and attempted a traffic stop. He fled, leading police on a pursuit that ended when he crashed near Palm Street and Charleston Boulevard. Two people in the other vehicle were injured in the collision. Vasquez's girlfriend died at the scene.

The case has drawn attention to the circumstances that allowed nearly two hours to pass before the victim received any emergency care. The guilty plea averts a trial and brings the case to the sentencing phase, where a judge will determine the terms of Vasquez's punishment for both the murder and the failure to yield to police that ended in injury.

The crash site at Palm and Charleston is a busy east-valley intersection, and the pursuit and collision raised concerns about public safety during police chases. Court records do not indicate whether Vasquez has remained in custody since his arrest; he is expected to appear for sentencing early next year.