Husband of Austin woman found dead in June charged with her murder
AUSTIN, Texas - Jose Villa-Denova has been charged with killing his wife, Yolanda Jaimes. He was initially charged with tampering with evidence.
Jaimes disappeared from her home near Barbara Jordan Elementary School in June. She was found dead in a field four days later.
This case leaves four children without parents. The oldest, 22-year-old Yuliza Villa Jaimes, now has to care for her brothers.
"I'm scared for the person I didn't meet but my mom met because that's not what people do," she said, speaking about the side of her father that came out.
Yuliza had come to visit in June, and the whole family had plans one weekend.
"I just wish I could've taken care of her. I wish I could've been here sooner. I wish I could've gotten here a day sooner or two. I bet there's something that I could've done to protect her," Yuliza said.
According to the affidavit, Yuliza reported her mother missing on June 24. Earlier paperwork details the investigation.
Court paperwork says Jose lied about Yolanda getting ready for work and asking a car dealership for GPS information on her truck. The paperwork also says he lied about getting a call from her workplace asking about her and changing the story about his car breaking down and needing a ride.
"She would've never left me or the kids at all. She would've definitely never left us with my dad at all," Yuliza said.
The affidavit says cell phone data showed both Yolanda and Jose's phones traveled to the area of Jose's job site, and Yolanda's phone was disconnected a few hours later. Her body was found on June 28. Her clothes were found bloody and partially burned nearby.
"There's things that were obvious that I didn't put together until probably a month later when I think back, and I think about what happened and just the way he was acting," Yuliza said.
She says she remembers her mother as beautiful, funny, loving, and hardworking. She also has a message for others.
"If there's a man in anyone's life that is just violent or emotionally abusive, verbally abusive in any way, just leave. This is something that I obviously never thought would happen to me, especially coming from my own father," Yuliza said.
She also has a request for others.
"Just be kind about what you say, even against my father, that's also why I say there's nothing that I can say. I just want to protect my siblings, and there's parents out there that speak about this, and their kids listen and it's affecting my brothers too because kids talk and they hear what their parents say," she said.
The affidavit says Jose and Yolanda were having marital issues. There were four domestic calls over the years at the house and multiple times when Jose assaulted Yolanda.
The autopsy says the exact cause of death is undetermined because of the body's state of decomposition.