Juarez, charged with murder, to be arraigned Feb. 6

Gabriel Anthony Juarez, born in 1997, of Hannibal, was bound over to Circuit Court following a preliminary hearing on Monday, Jan. 12, 2025, in Marion County Associate Court at Hannibal. Evidence was presented before Judge Jennifer Richardson, who determined there is probable cause that a felony occurred on all counts.

Juarez is charged with three felony counts:

Domestic Assault, first degree, serious physical injury;

Murder 1st degree; and

Armed Criminal Action.

The charges result from the death of a Hannibal woman, found dead in her apartment on Oct. 13, 2025. She is identified by her  family as 22-year-old Emily Traynor, a home health care worker. Gabriel Juarez and Emily Traynor were living together in a small apartment in the 300 block of North Sixth Street at the time of Emily’s death, according to Traynor’s family.

Arraignment for Juarez is scheduled for 11 a.m. Feb. 6, 2025, before Judge John J. Jackson in Marion County Circuit Court, Hannibal.

A warrant was issued for Juarez’s arrest on Oct. 14, 2025. Juarez is being held in the Marion County Jail at Palmyra, on $500,000 cash-only bond.

Luke A. Bryant is prosecuting the case. Juarez is represented by Austin J. Smith, public defender.