A Glendale firefighter accused of killing his wife with an ax appeared stone-faced in a Los Angeles courtroom on Wednesday, saying nothing as a judge scheduled the preliminary hearing in his murder case.
Andrew Jimenez, 45, was present at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center wearing jail-issued clothing and restraints. Throughout the approximately three-minute hearing, Jimenez remained silent and stared straight ahead. Prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed to set the preliminary hearing for Oct. 21, 2026. At this hearing, witnesses are expected to testify, and evidence will begin to be presented.
Jimenez has previously pleaded not guilty to one count of murder. The case involves the Jan. 21 killing of his wife, 46-year-old Mayra Jimenez, a schoolteacher. She was found dead inside the couple’s North Hollywood home with fatal blunt-force injuries. Prosecutors allege Andrew Jimenez attacked her with an ax.
Authorities arrested Jimenez on the same day as the discovery of his wife's body. He had reportedly approached Los Angeles police officers and asked them to conduct a welfare check at the home. Upon arrival, officers found Mayra Jimenez deceased and took Andrew Jimenez into custody.
Earlier in the case, a former attorney for Jimenez had stated that his client had discovered writings in his wife’s diary indicating she had been unfaithful shortly before her death. That attorney later withdrew from representing him. These claims have not been proven in court, and prosecutors have not officially identified a motive as part of the criminal charges.
Jimenez, who joined the Glendale Fire Department as a paramedic in 2008 and was promoted to firefighter in 2024, remains in custody without bail. If convicted of murder, he faces a potential sentence of 26 years to life in state prison.