In El Paso, a federal judge sentenced 24–year-old Arely Brigette Ruiz to 78 months in federal prison for shooting her husband inside their residence on Fort Bliss earlier this year. The woman allegedly shot her husband because she would rather have him “dead than divorced,” according to court documents.
In addition to the prison term, United States District Judge Kathleen Cardone ordered that Ruiz pay $500.00 fine and be placed on supervised release for a period of three years after completing her prison term.
On October 6, 2017, Ruiz pleaded guilty to one count of assault resulting in serious bodily injury.
According to court records, on January 16, 2017, Ruiz transported her husband to the William Beaumont Army Medical Center to receive emergency treatment for an abdominal gunshot wound. Initially, both reported to hospital staff that the weapon, a 9mm pistol, had accidentally discharged during cleaning. Ruiz’s husband underwent successful surgery and remained in a medically induced coma for the next three days.
On January 19, 2017, the victim regained consciousness and immediately told hospital staff that his wound was not self-inflicted, but rather, the defendant shot him with a pistol. After initially denying involvement in the shooting, the defendant admitted to investigators that she, in fact, had shot her husband following an argument about their marriage.
