The Cleburne Police Department has announced an arrest in connection to the murder of 18-year-old Kaylee Merchant. CPD reports that Giovanni Jimenez Diaz was arrested on September 13, 2024.

He faces charges of murder. Around 1 p.m. on September 8, officers responded to a shooting in the area of the 500 block of Poindexter. As officers were traveling to the scene, they learned that a female victim had been shot and transported to another location.

Officers found the 18-year-old victim at the second location. Authorities say the victim was a passenger in a white SUV that was involved in an altercation at the initial location. The victim was transported to an area hospital where she passed away.

20-year-old Giovanni Jimenez Diaz is now in custody.