Marilynn P. Pacheco had escaped a very abusive boyfriend and was trying to move forward in her life. She was a single mother of a little girl.

On the evening of June 29th, 2019, her ex-boyfriend drove down from California to Arizona in his girlfriends vehicle. He stalked Marilynn, her friend and his 3 year old daughter from her parents home in Southern Arizona; catching up to her on I-19 as Marilynn was taking her friend and his daughter to their home.

Unbeknownst to Marilynn and her friend, he was following them. He began chasing them down the highway shooting at her vehicle. After her vehicle had stalled, Mateo D. Zavala stepped out of the vehicle he was driving and proceeded to shoot at her vehicle. Everyone in the vehicle was shot including the 3 year old. Marilynn was
the only fatality.

The Pima County Attorneys Office has offered a plea of 2nd degree murder along with 2 Aggravated Assault charges. The 2nd degree murder charge has a sentence of 16-25 years and the two Aggravated Assault charges carry a term between 2-8.75 years.  Mateo D. Zavala blatantly disregarded putting other innocent lives in danger. He stalked, threatened, harassed, and beat Marilynn. We ask the court to please sentence him to serve the maximum terms allowed and to run the terms consecutively. It is what is; fair and just.