Man Arrested By SWAT Team Monday Accused In East Wenatchee Murder

A 34-year-old man arrested by the East Cascade SWAT team Monday faces second-degree murder charges in the death of an East Wenatchee man found along Rock Island Road on February 1st. 

Investigators say Travis Earl Collins shot and killed 35-year-old Julio Cesar Garcia-Ramirez late the previous night during a drug transaction. 

Garcia-Ramirez was found face down in a pool of blood next to a pickup truck shortly afterward.

In an affidavit of probable cause, detectives said Garcia-Ramirez's last phone call was made to Collins earlier the night of his death. 

Deputies also say the two texted each other that night and arranged for a drug transaction. 

They say they also learned through the help of the FBI Cellular Analysis Survey Team that both Collins and Garcia-Ramirez's cell phones were in the same area where Garcia-Ramirez's body was found. 

Shortly afterward both Collins and Garcia-Ramirez's cell phones were traveling in the same direction until Garcia-Ramirez's phone went dark on Sunset Highway. Deputies say Garcia-Ramirez's phone appeared to have run out of batteries or was turned off by midnight. 

They say a car similar to the silver Audi owned by Collins was captured on video surveillance cameras heading northbound in the 200 block of Sunset Highway at 11:23 pm the night of the murder and was captured by a video surveillance camera traveling northbound on U.S. 2 in Leavenworth at about 11:45 pm. 

Collins was arrested at his home north of Leavenworth at about noon Monday. 

Once in custody, he denied killing Garcia-Ramirez. He said the last day he'd seen Garcia-Ramirez was on January 22. 

Deputies say he then told them he did meet up with Garcia-Ramirez the day of the murder to use his .40 firearm as collateral in exchange for cocaine from Garcia-Ramirez.  

Officers had recovered .40 shell casings from the murder scene on February 1st. 

Deputies say Collins gave conflicting answers after that point, saying Garcia-Ramirez already had his gun and then said he would give the firearm over as collateral for cocaine. 

He also said he'd contacted Garcia-Ramirez on the night of the murder to get a jump start as his car stopped running, but then said his car had started up when Garcia-Ramirez never showed up to help him. 

Collins faces second-degree murder charges and was scheduled to appear in Douglas County Superior Court Tuesday afternoon.