Arizona Couple Arrested On Homicide Charges In Mesa Shooting

The Mesa police department say they have arrested a Queen Creek couple in connection with the death of a

Heath Daniel

man in Mesa last week.


On Dec. 30, police arrested 33-year-old Heath Daniel and his wife, Vanessa, 37, for the murder of Jose Ramirez, 31, who was found shot to death in the road near 8th Avenue and Country Club Road.

On Dec. 28, around 7 a.m., officers were called to a scene just south of Broadway Road where they found Ramirez dead from a gunshot wound. Officers were unable to find shell casings, however police were able to obtain surveillance footage from a nearby Circle K camera that showed Ramirez talking to someone in a white car just 10 minutes prior to the shooting.

Mesa police were able to identify the driver as Heath Daniel. The video showed Daniel driving past Ramirez in the parking lot, making a U-turn, and then shooting at Ramirez seven times. Daniel’s license plate was seen on another surveillance video in the area. Investigators were able to determine that cell phone records show that Daniel was in the area when the shooting occurred.

Vanessa Daniel

Court papers detail that that Vanessa Daniel asked a relative to keep the car and a box of cartridges, which were both discovered by police. During the investigation, officers were tipped off that both Heath and Vanessa were driving toward Tucson in another vehicle. DPS and Mesa Police officers located their car on I-10. They were able to pull them over and arrest them.

Heath faces various charges, including first-degree murder and prohibited possessor, and is being held on a $500,000 bond. Vanessa faces multiple charges, including hindering prosecution and tampering with evidence. Heath also had previous felony convictions dating back to 2012, including aggravated assault, robbery and aggravated DUI. The investigation remains ongoing.