Georgia State Patrol arrest man charged with murdering Wake County teen
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Suspect charged with first-degree murder after woman shot and killed in Wake County.
- Georgia State Patrol arrested Ricardo Gonzalez Maldonado, 28, around 9 p.m. Thursday.
- 19-year-old Jennifer Sanchez Solis killed in shooting; she and Maldonado knew each other.
A man was arrested in Georgia and charged with first-degree murder Thursday, Feb. 19, in the shooting of a teenager in southern Wake County earlier that day.
Deputies responded at 11 a.m. Thursday to a shooting on Avery Street, east of Garner, and found Jennifer Sánchez Solis, 19, suffering from a gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Wake County Sheriff’s Office obtained an arrest warrant for 28-year-old Ricardo Gonzalez Maldonado, and the Georgia State Patrol took him into custody around 9 p.m.
The Sheriff’s Office worked with the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, the Georgia State Patrol, the Atlanta Police Department, the Greenville (South Carolina) Police Department, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the U.S. Marshals Service.
“We extend our heartfelt condolences to Jennifer Sánchez Solis’ loved ones and all those impacted,” Wake Sheriff Willie Rowe said. “Our investigators worked diligently to identify and locate the suspect, and our community is safer because of it. We are thankful for the collaboration of our law enforcement counterparts that helped make this arrest possible.”
Daughter of immigrants
Mexican news site El Piñero reported that Sánchez Solis is the daughter of immigrants from the state of Oaxaca in Mexico, while Gonzales Maldonado is from the state of Veracruz.
Witnesses told El Piñero that Sánchez Solis worked as a cleaner and met Maldonado through social media. She had recently ended a relationship with him after episodes of physical and psychological abuse, witnesses said, but Maldonado continued to harass her until the shooting, according to El Piñero.
A GoFundMe account has been set up to help her family with funeral expenses. As of Monday, it had raised $240 from four donations toward a $3,000 goal.
“Jennifer was a bright light in our lives, always bringing joy and kindness to everyone she met,” her cousin, Irene Fraire, wrote. “Losing her at such a young age is something we never could have prepared for, and the pain of her absence is felt deeply by all who loved her.”
This story was originally published February 19, 2026 at 4:32 PM.
.jpg)