‘Her legacy will live on:’ Family honors Arlington woman killed in random attack
Erma Adeyemo-Azeez loved God and people and left a lasting legacy in the lives of those she touched, her family said.
Adeyemo-Azeez was an ordained evangelist and passionate about winning souls for Christ, her daughter Kushana Allen told the Star-Telegram. She raised her children with integrity and the fear of the Lord.
The 63-year-old, affectionately known as “Mama Erma,” loved to help people, Allen said. On March 31 she was helping a friend move. She had just gotten back to her apartment complex in the 2600 block of Whisper Meadow Lane in Arlington when she was attacked and fatally stabbed.
Officers arrived at the scene shortly before midnight and found Adeyemo-Azeez lying unresponsive in a breezeway, police said. She was pronounced dead about 12:50 a.m. on April 1 at Arlington Memorial Hospital, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner.
Based on the investigation so far, Arlington police believe the attack on Adeyemo-Azeez — by a man released on bond after a previous violent crime — was random.
“I can’t even imagine why anyone would want to hurt her,” Allen said.
‘Mama Erma’ was a mother figure, mentor
Allen described Adeyemo-Azeez as a mother figure and mentor to countless individuals at her church and work. She loved to dance and could outrun people in their 20s, even while wearing her signature outfit of a dress, pantyhose and loafers.
“She was so full of life,” Allen said.
Adeyemo-Azeez spent more than 20 years teaching students with disabilities in Arlington ISD. According to the school district, she served as a special education assistant at Nichols Junior High.
“She was a valued long-time member of the district, and she had a significant impact on the lives of students before she left Arlington ISD several years ago,” the district said in a statement.
Adeyemo-Azeez worked as a receptionist at Texas Oncology after her retirement from Arlington ISD. She made friends with all the patients, according to Allen. Her primary job was scheduling patient appointments, but somehow she always ended up doing more for them, like calling an Uber or making sure they had something to eat.
“It was above and beyond in every single thing that she did,” Allen said.
Murder suspect was released on bond after robbery
Police arrested 23-year-old Jacob Arriaga Guerrero on April 1, and he is charged with murder in with Adeyemo-Azeez’s death.
Arriaga Guerrero had previously been arrested on March 23 after he was accused of stealing a pickup truck with a gun inside, robbing a woman at gunpoint at a Walmart in Crowley and leading officers on a car chase.
Following that arrest, Arriaga Guerrero was released March 28 on a $75,000 bond, according to Tarrant County court records. The conditions of his bond included wearing a GPS ankle monitor.
When Arlington police were investigating the stabbing on March 31, the Tarrant County Community Supervision and Corrections Department told detectives they’d received an ankle monitor tampering alert for Arriaga Guerrero. The Crowley man matched the description several witnesses gave of Adeyemo-Azeez’s attacker, and GPS data put him at the apartment complex at the time of the attack, police said.
By the time Arriaga Guerrero was arrested on April 1, he’d allegedly stolen a sport utility vehicle, hit a pedestrian walking a dog and collided with another vehicle at the intersection of Walnut Hill and Burney Road, police said.
Detectives in the Real Time Crime Center tracked down the SUV, police said. Officers responded to the location and arrested the driver, who was identified as Arriaga Guerrero, according to police.
Family believes justice system failed victim
Arriaga Guerrero is being held in the Tarrant County Jail on an increased bond of over $1.2 million. In addition to murder, he also faces charges of tampering with an electronic device, failing to identify as a fugitive from justice, theft, animal cruelty and a collision involving injury, according to jail records.
In the Crowley case, he faces charges of aggravated robbery, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, evading arrest in a vehicle, unlawful carrying of a weapon and tampering with evidence.
Arriaga Guerrero’s attorney, Ray Hall Jr., told the Star-Telegram over the phone April 2 that the suspect’s family was concerned about his mental health and has been trying to get him evaluated.
A psychiatric exam was ordered for the suspect on Wednesday, April 9, according to court records.
“I can’t wrap my mind around why someone like that would be on the streets,” Allen said.
She said she doesn’t understand why the suspect was released on bond in the first place with all the pending charges against him in Crowley.
“This could have been prevented,” Allen said of her mother’s killing. “I don’t know why my mom had to pay the price for such negligence.”
Allen also questions why she and her family weren’t notified of her mother’s attack and death until several hours later.
Adeyemo-Azeez was scanned into Arlington Memorial Hospital as Jane Doe, according to Allen. If police had checked her ID, run her license plates or called the apartment complex’s emergency number they would have quickly learned her identity and could have contacted her family, she said.
Allen said she didn’t know anything was wrong until the apartment manager called in the morning to say her mom’s car was gone and was checking to make sure she was OK.
Allen became alarmed when her mother didn’t answer her phone and learned she hadn’t shown up for work. A friend who lived in the area went to check on Adeyemo-Azeez and told Allen police were at the apartment complex.
Allen called Arlington 911, and a dispatcher said they would call her back. Her mom’s apartment complex didn’t know where she had gone either. Allen said it was like her mom was missing.
An officer later called Allen’s sister to let her know their mom had been attacked and had died. According to Allen, they initially were told her mother’s death was most likely caused by a medical emergency because the stab wounds were superficial.
Arriaga Guerrero was initially charged with aggravated assault. The charge was upgraded to murder after the medical examiner ruled Adeyemo-Azeez’s death a homicide. According to the Medical Examiner’s Office website, Adeyemo-Azeez died from multiple stab wounds.
“There’s just so much gross negligence all the way around,” Allen said.
Even though Adeyemo-Azeez’s family believes the justice system failed her, they are choosing to focus on how she lived.
Her celebration of life service will be held Saturday, April 12, at 11 a.m. — the same time she was scheduled to work at her church’s food pantry.
“I’m glad her legacy will live on through us and everyone else she impacted,” Allen said.
Adeyemo-Azeez’s family has established a GoFundMe to help cover her funeral expenses.
This story was originally published April 9, 2025 at 4:41 PM.
