In the early morning hours of April 9, 2022, a tragic series of events began to unfold that would ultimately claim the life of 33-year-old Mario Armondo Rios Ramos, a Hispanic male from the Nashville, Tennessee area. That morning, what started as a mission to recover his stolen pickup truck spiraled into a fatal confrontation in the parking lot of the Biltmore Apartments on Glastonbury Road.
Rios Ramos had reportedly spotted his stolen vehicle being driven and chose to follow it, a decision that placed him in a perilous situation.
Unbeknownst to Rios Ramos, his truck had already been used as the getaway vehicle in an armed robbery of the La Mexicana Mercado on Murfreesboro Pike earlier that same day. The individuals in possession of his truck were not simply joyriders, but were allegedly involved in violent criminal activity. The pursuit ended tragically when Rios Ramos was shot and killed. His truck was found still running at the scene of the homicide, a silent witness to the violence that had just occurred. The investigation into his death would soon connect the threads of the armed robbery and the homicide, leading detectives to two primary suspects.
In the weeks that followed, investigators from the Metro Nashville Police Department worked diligently to piece together the evidence. Their efforts led them to Gabrielle Castelianos, a 20-year-old woman, and her 25-year-old boyfriend, Nicholas Washington. Detectives had determined that Rios Ramos had given his truck to Castelianos to drive two days before his murder. On May 10, 2022, through coordinated efforts of Homicide and TITANS Unit detectives, along with SWAT officers, Castelianos and Washington were taken into custody at a South Nashville apartment.
Their initial arrests were on drug and gun charges after a search of their apartment revealed multiple pistols, ecstasy, marijuana, and THC vape pens. However, the investigation into the murder of Mario Armondo Rios Ramos was far from over. Shortly after their initial arrest, Gabrielle Castelianos was charged with murder in connection with his death. Later, a murder warrant was also issued for Nicholas Washington, officially charging him as the second individual involved in the fatal shooting. Both were also charged with aggravated robbery for the heist at La Mexicana Mercado. The continuing investigation seeks to bring a final measure of justice for the senseless death of Mario Armondo Rios Ramos.
