A Bath man charged with murder immediately surrendered to city police Tuesday morning while repeating, “I killed my mother,” according to court documents.
The affidavit of Maine State Police Detective Corporal Ryan Brockway, filed in West Bath District Court, detailed the initial police investigation into Jason Ibarra, who was charged Wednesday with the alleged murder of his mother Jeanine Ross at her apartment at 125 Congress Ave.
Ibarra’s brother Shane Ross told police that Ibarra sounded depressed and intoxicated during a phone call just before 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, according to the documents. After initially evading his brother’s questioning, Ibarra admitted to killing Jeanine Ross, at which point Shane Ross called 911 to report the crime.
When Bath Police Officer Brett McIntire arrived on the scene, he found Ibarra visibly intoxicated to the point he struggled to stand upright. Ibarra told McIntire, “I did not mean to kill her,” according to the affidavit.
McIntire handcuffed Ibarra and handed him to Officer Arthur Tringali in the hallway outside Jeanine Ross’ apartment. McIntire then searched the apartment, where he found Ross’ body in a bedroom with a cloth around her neck.
While Tringali escorted the suspect out of the building, Ibarra repeatedly said, “I killed my mother,” the officer later told a State Police detective. Ibarra then fell to the ground, which prompted Tringali to drive the suspect to Mid Coast Hospital.
Bath Police arrested Ibarra Tuesday evening and charged him with violation of conditional release, according to a State Police spokesperson.
Ibarra, who had been staying with his mother, previously spent time in prison after pleading guilty to multiple charges of misdemeanor assault and criminal threatening, according to court records.
On Wednesday afternoon, detectives from the Maine State Police’s Major Crimes Unit, which is responsible for investigating homicides and suspicious deaths, met with Ibarra at Two Bridges Regional Jail in Wiscasset and charged him with murder.
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