The two women who were reportedly arrested in connection to a fatal shooting that happened Dec. 6 after they failed to call emergency services for the victim before fleeing the city of Odessa were booked into the Ector County Law Enforcement Center on Tuesday.
Hayley Staggs, 32, and Jennifer Portillo, 38, were each charged with murder, a first-degree felony, as they were arrested in Texarkana and later extradited to Ector County.
Staggs was booked into ECLEC at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, while Portillo was booked at 7:58 p.m., jail records show. Both women have one bond totaling $100,000 and were still in custody as of Wednesday afternoon.
Staggs and Portillo were reportedly involved in the fatal shooting of 31-year-old Crystal Araiza as the two women witnessed the shooting, drug the victim’s body out of their car, left the victim’s body in the street, failed to report the shooting to emergency services, cleaned their vehicle of the evidence and then fled the city of Odessa to Texarkana.
Staggs and Portillo are the second and third subjects who were arrested in the fatal shooting of Araiza. Damien Dubree Smith, 38, was charged with murder, a first-degree felony, on Monday evening.
In addition to the murder charge, he was charged with evading arrest with previous conviction, a state jail felony, and resisting arrest, a class A misdemeanor, jail records show. Smith also has two charges out of Ward County, which include going off bond for possession of a controlled substance, a state jail felony, and failure to appear for possession of a controlled substance, a third-degree felony. Smith has bonds totaling $220,000 and was still in custody as of Wednesday afternoon.
The fatal shooting happened around 2 a.m. Dec. 6 in the 500 block of N. Lauderdale Avenue, an OPD affidavit stated. The victim was identified as Araiza as her body was found directly across the street from the house Smith was paroled out to. Officers saw a gunshot wound to the left side of her face.
Investigation reportedly showed that recent Facebook conversations and phone calls in the victim’s phone with a subject named “Damien Du’bree Smith” and “Haley Portillo.” Smith stated he was going to have Araiza picked up at 1:30 a.m. and Araiza gave “Haley” her location to have them pick her up and further told them to contact Smith.
Detective identified “Haley Portillo” as Hayley Staggs. The messages between Araiza, Smith and Staggs were over drugs and they were to meet up to make the deal.
Staggs was reportedly interviewed by detectives and she stated that she and her girlfriend, Jennifer Portillo, picked up Araiza from the address provided to her through Facebook Messenger. Staggs stated they were driving a black Kia four door when they picked up Araiza.
Staggs stated they were told by Smith to take Araiza to his residence in the 500 block of N. Lauderdale Avenue, the affidavit detailed.
Smith reportedly got into Staggs’ vehicle and he was upset at Araiza over a shortage of money that was owed to him. Staggs stated she saw Smith put a firearm to Araiza’s face and shoot her in the left side of her face.
Staggs detailed during her interview that after the shooting Smith fled the scene and she and Portillo drug Araiza’s body out of the car and left her on the street, the affidavit stated. Staggs stated they fled the scene and went to a friend’s house in Odessa and got cleaning supplies.
Staggs and Portillo reportedly started to clean their vehicle of the blood and evidence. Staggs and Portillo left Odessa and fled to Texarkana. Staggs also stated they found a shell casing in the vehicle and threw it out in a parking lot of a gas station in Snyder.
