On December 30, 2022, just after 11:00 p.m., Mesa Police Officers arrested 33-year-old Heath Daniel for First Degree Murder. Daniel’s wife, 37-year-old Vanessa Daniel was also arrested for hindering prosecution and tampering with evidence.
On December 28, 2022, just before 7:00 a.m., Mesa Police officers responded to 260 W. 8th Ave for reports of a “man down” in the roadway. It was discovered that the man, later identified as 31-year-old Jose Olvera Ramirez had been shot. Jose was pronounced dead on scene.
With no witnesses to what may have occurred and very little evidence on scene, detectives from the Homicide Unit turned to video surveillance cameras in the surrounding area to help piece together what may have occurred. Video from Circle K, on the corner of 8th Ave and Country Club, showed Jose interacting with someone in a white passenger car just 10 minutes before officers were dispatched to the scene. The driver of the car was a man wearing a dark hat with the letters “NY” on it. The car had identifiable damage to the bumper and was picked up by other surveillance cameras, which ultimately gave officers a license plate, and registered owner, Heath Daniel.
Cellular phone records were obtained and showed Daniel’s phone in the area of the murder at the time it occurred.
On December 30, 2022, officers served multiple search warrants for various locations associated with Daniel. At Daniel’s house, officers found a dark hat with “NY” on it along with an empty gun box for a .45 caliber pistol. Daniel’s vehicle was found at a relative’s house, where he and his wife, Vanessa Daniel, asked them to hold on to it and a box of .45 caliber cartridges. Fired and unfired .45 caliber casings were found in and on Daniel’s vehicle. Officers also learned, at another location, Daniel said he shot a man and even showed a .45 caliber handgun to a witness.
While officers were serving the search warrants, information was obtained that Daniel had left the area in a separate vehicle. DPS assisted Mesa Police Officers and located Daniel and his wife traveling on the I-10 southbound toward Tucson, AZ.
Both Heath and Vanessa Daniel were transported back to Mesa, where they were both booked into jail.
Heath was booked under the following charges and held on a $500,000 bond:
ARS 13-1105A1; First Degree Murder, a class 1 felony
ARS 13-3102A4; Prohibited Possessor, a class 4 felony
Vanessa was booked into jail on the following charges:
ARS 13-2512B1; Hindering Prosecution, a class 3 felony
ARS 13-2809A1; Tampering with Evidence, a class 6 felony