Shocking murder-suicide was end of turbulent 20-year relationship, reports show
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Long, rocky relationship marked by alleged domestic violence and control.
- He crashed his SUV into her Escalade, shot her, then killed himself.
- Reports describe family accounts of past violence; no court records found.
A Prosser couple’s rocky relationship ended violently on a rural stretch of road one night last November.
Jose L. Barrera Carrazco’s, 40, relationship with Annie Ruvalcaba-Barrera, 39, had deteriorated to the point where she and their children asked him to move out, according to Benton County investigators.
But Barrera Carrazco refused, telling his adult son, “The only way I’m leaving is dead.”
He carried out that threat Nov. 15, when he rammed Ruvalcaba-Barrera’s Escalade on North Rothrock Road and then killed her as their youngest child watched. Then he turned the gun on himself.
Ruvalcaba-Barrera worked at Prosser Memorial Hospital as a cardio pulmonary technician. She had been at the hospital for five years, starting in housekeeping.
She loved spending time raising her five kids and a granddaughter — whether that was playing outside with her boys or shopping with her girls, her sister-in-law Seirra Goble previously told the Tri-City Herald.
“She was the face of cardio-pulmonary because of her infectious smile and laugh... people loved being around her,” she said.
Her violent death shocked the community, but little information was released about the collision and shooting. The Tri-City Herald recently obtained 142 pages of reports from the Benton County Sheriff’s Office as part of a public records request.
Troubled relationship
The reports show Barrera Carrazco and Ruvalcaba-Barrera were in a steady relationship for more than 20 years.
Family members said their relationship was marked by violence, though there were no court records detailing troubles between the two.
They split two years before the shooting after Barrera Carrazco cheated on her. They stayed estranged for about a year before getting back together, family and friends told investigators.
Barrera Carrazco became very controlling and insecure and didn’t want Ruvalcaba-Barrera to maintain any friendships with other people.
“Jose’s jealous behavior went to the extent of requesting people Jose knew to contract Annie to go on dates” to test her, according to the reports.
In another incident, she was on the phone with someone on her birthday, when he grabbed her phone, took it outside and fired a gun several times. It’s unclear what he was shooting at.
Two weeks before their deaths, she tried to lock him out of a bedroom, but he forced his way in, prompting her to tell him to move out. He refused.
Day of the murder
On the day she was killed, Ruvalcaba-Barrera planned to have photos taken with her family. She hadn’t invited Barrera Carrazco, and family expected that he was at work as a field worker.
She loaded up her 6-year-old daughter into her Cadillac Escalade and headed to Prosser.
While they were away, Barrera Carrazco returned to the house to drop off some items about 4 p.m.
At 5:20 p.m., Ruvalcaba-Barrera called a friend to ask to use her shower because she wanted to go to a party. Her friend told investigators she sounded worried and had never asked to do that before.
She was about a quarter mile away from her friend’s house when Barrera Carrazco slammed his Ford Explorer into the side of her car, knocking it into a nearby hop field.
Ruvalcaba-Barrera turned on her hazard lights and backed into a safe spot on the side of the road, police reports said.
Barrera Carrazco got out of his SUV and approached the passenger side of the Escalade.
Their daughter later told investigators she heard her mother yelling, telling him the girl was in the car with her. But he still began shooting, emptying his pistol. He then took out another gun and shot himself in the head.
People nearby heard the crash and called 911. Prosser police arrived and tried to save Ruvalcaba-Barrera, but she died at the scene. Barrera Carrazco was dead. Their daughter was not injured.