A brutal double murder, witnessed by three infants in a nearby van, has been linked to a bitter child custody battle, with a woman and her new boyfriend now facing charges after a cross-border flight from justice. The horrific scene unfolded in the early hours of January 19th, 2026, in San Diego, leaving two people dead and nine children across two families forever scarred.
San Diego police responding to an anonymous call near 27th Street and Imperial Avenue discovered the bodies of 31-year-old Ruben Chavez and 28-year-old Evelyn Verjen lying in the street. Both victims had been killed at close range by a shotgun. The officers’ investigation took a deeply disturbing turn when they located a van parked nearby.
Inside that vehicle, unharmed but tragically present during the violence, were three children, all under the age of two. They were Verjen’s babies; one was also the child of Chavez and his ex-girlfriend, 25-year-old Princess Perez. The infants were taken into protective custody as homicide detectives began processing the grisly scene.
Investigators quickly identified a clear line of inquiry: an acrimonious custody dispute between Chavez and Perez. Court records reveal Chavez had been fighting for joint custody of the children he shared with Perez but was only granted supervised visitation. Perez had since moved on with a new boyfriend, 21-year-old Ramsay “Rex” Morales, with whom she also had a child.
The investigation determined Perez and Morales were in the area at the time of the shooting but had fled before police arrived. Their flight did not stop at the city limits; the pair drove to Mexico in an apparent attempt to evade capture. This move, however, proved to be their undoing.
When Perez and Morales attempted to re-enter the United States via the San Ysidro Port of Entry, U.S. Border Patrol agents detained them. San Diego Police Department homicide detectives met them there for questioning. The evidence against them mounted rapidly, including shell casings, witness accounts placing them at the scene, and the clear motive provided by the custody battle.
Ramsay Morales now faces the most severe charges. He has been charged with two counts of murder with special circumstances, a designation that makes him eligible for the death penalty in California. He also faces three counts of child endangerment for the three infants in the van during the commission of the murders.
Princess Perez is currently charged as an accessory to murder. The Deputy District Attorney alleges she was present during the shooting and actively helped Morales flee the scene and cross into Mexico. However, prosecutors have explicitly stated her role remains under active investigation, leaving open the possibility of upgraded charges if evidence suggests deeper involvement.
“It’s a terrible situation,” the Deputy District Attorney stated in court. “They’ve been affected by horrible street violence. Our heart goes out to them and their families and we’ll do our best to see that justice occurs in this case.” He described the incident as a “senseless gun violence tragedy” stemming from a “complicated case.”
The human toll of this violence is staggering and extends far beyond the two victims. In total, nine children are connected to the suspects and victims, their lives irrevocably altered. The three babies found at the scene, along with the other children, have been placed in the care of family members as the shattered families attempt to cope.
During a tense first court appearance on January 22nd, a judge ordered the defendants’ faces blurred for media. The courtroom was filled with grieving family and friends of Chavez and Verjen. Morales is being held without bail, facing the potential of a death penalty trial. Perez is also held without bail, awaiting a preliminary hearing and the possibility of more serious charges.
The case lays bare a domestic dispute that spiraled fatally out of control, transferring a battle from family court to the streets with devastating consequences. It underscores how custody conflicts, while often fiercely emotional, can metastasize into unthinkable violence, leaving the most vulnerable—the children—as collateral damage.
As the legal process moves forward, with a preliminary examination set for February 4th, two families mourn, nine children face a future without parents, and a community is left to grapple with a tragedy that should have never happened. The pursuit of justice for Ruben Chavez and Evelyn Verjen continues, but it cannot restore the lives shattered in a single, violent moment on a San Diego street.