Cleburne police arrest murder suspect in shooting death of 18-year-old woman
A suspect in the shooting death of a young woman in Cleburne was arrested on Friday, police said.
Giovanni Jimenez Diaz, 20, was arrested by the Cleburne Police Department and booked into the Johnson County Jail. He faces a murder charge in the death of 18-year-old Kaylee Merchant.
According to police, officers responded to the shooting call in the 500 block of Poindexter Avenue at about 1 p.m. on Sept. 8.
While en route to the scene, officials said, the officers learned that an 18-year-old woman had been shot during an altercation when the suspect fired at a white SUV in which she was a passenger. The victim had been taken to another location before police arrived.
Officers responded to the second location and found the victim. Merchant was transported to a hospital, where she later died from her injuries, police said.
Family friends Patty Lockridge and Jillissa Feaster told WFAA-TV that Merchant had lived with them for about four years.
“You’re not gonna find another Kaylee,” said Feaster, who thought of Merchant as a sister. “There’s no one that can match her personality. She was just goofy, she’d always make you laugh.”
Anyone with information about the homicide was asked to contact the Cleburne Police Department at 817-645-0972. Tipsters can remain anonymous.
This story was originally published September 9, 2024 at 3:21 PM.
