Criminal charges against the boyfriend of 22-year-old Tucson woman who died last month in a domestic-violence related incident, have been dropped while investigators try to collect more evidence in the case, authorities say.
Hundreds of people showed up at the hospital last month to support the family of Zahriya Moreno, who investigators have said was possibly injured late Aug. 11 when she fell from a moving vehicle during an argument with her boyfriend, Angelito Adrian Olivas.
Olivas took Moreno, who was unresponsive and in code arrest, to a fire station. Her medical condition deteriorated over two days and she died at the hospital, where an organ-donor ceremony was held at 1:12 p.m. to honor her twin brother, Izak, who died in an ATV crash in April 2021.
Olivas was arrested on domestic violence charges.
Father of Zahriya Moreno talks to press at Banner University. As they prepare to donate her organs, the family of 22-year-old Zahriya Moreno is still trying to figure out how the vibrant, young women ended up unresponsive and on life support early Monday morning.
On Tuesday, those charges were dropped without prejudice, the Pima County Attorney’s Office said in a news release, which means the charges can be refiled.
“After a comprehensive and extensive meeting with Zahriya Moreno’s family, the Pima County Attorney’s Office has moved to dismiss the matter, without prejudice,” Tuesday’s news release said. “Dismissing a case without prejudice is a tool routinely used that allows law enforcement the time necessary to gather additional evidence to conduct a thorough investigation, especially in complex cases such as this.”
Moreno's family put out a statement in response to the charges being dropped.
"Although we are thoroughly disappointed in the current situation regarding the case, we are 100% confident that our legal team, PCSD, the county attorney and court system, not to mention additional support systems, will prevail, and we have the Justice For Zahriya that she deserves," the statement reads.
In a text to the Arizona Daily Star, Zahriya's father, Robert Moreno, called the original bond amount set for Olivas at $2,500 "preposterous." He said the charges were dropped due to a complication in the system and that authorities were "waiting for more suitable and advanced charges pending more in-depth investigation."
The county attorney release cited the number of criminal cases that the Pima County Sheriff’s Department currently is handling, “that will take some time.”
“Our office anticipates another presentation of the case by the Sheriff’s Department in the future,” the release continues. “Our goal is to ensure that our decisions in charging cases are made with all the information needed to provide a fair and just judicial process.”
