South Bend murder victim identified

Police have charged 21-year-old Johnnie Nettles with murder.

It comes after the body of a 25 year old woman was found at Chuck's Tavern Sunday afternoon.

The woman killed has been identified as Angela  .

ABC57 spoke with a friend of hers who is having a hard time understanding how this could have happened.

Yellow crime tape lined the parking lot of Chuck's Tavern on Monday–where police spent another day investigating South Bend's latest homicide.

The body of 25-year-old Angela Garza was discovered there on Sunday by the bar's owners.

“It's just heart breaking cause I used to go there and there's steps and everything and she was just a good person. She would help me out. Get in and out and everything,” said Leonel Hernandez, a friend of Garza's.

On Saturday night Garza was at Chuck's Tavern working and was supposed to lock up after a Christmas party.

But she was approached, robbed, stabbed, and killed. Police have charged Johnnie Nettles.

Those who knew her say this couldn't have come at a worse time.

“My condolences to her family. I feel sorry that she didn't get a chance to live her life,” Hernandez said.

Police say Garza knew Nettles and told her family the night she was killed that she was waiting for him to pick her up

Neighbors say crime in this area has been on the rise for some time.