Nohely Ruiz has been convicted of attempting to murder her ex-boyfriend and...

Nohely Ruiz has been convicted of attempting to murder her ex-boyfriend and his uncle after deliberately setting their apartment building on fire, destroying it entirely.

Yesterday, a Kern County jury found Ruiz guilty of two counts of attempted murder and one count of arson of an inhabited structure. The case was presented by Deputy DA Wooyoung Kim.

Prior to the events of the current case, on August 28, 2024, during a verbal argument, Ruiz threw a brick at her ex-boyfriend. She however missed the victim and immediately began to punch him in the head and face, ripping his clothing during the assault. She was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon, for which she entered a plea of no contest.

During the current case, on September 17, 2024, firefighters and deputies responded to the 300 block of Adams St, in the City of Taft for a reported structure fire at a two-story apartment complex. At approximately 1:30 a.m., the victim in the prior incident (Ruiz’s ex-boyfriend) and his uncle were asleep in their shared apartment. The uncle then woke up from his sleep after hearing someone kicking and pounding on the front door. He looked out the window and observed Ruiz walking in circles in the front yard area for approximately an hour. The uncle woke up his nephew (Ruiz’s ex-boyfriend) over an hour later when he heard Ruiz placing combustible items on the stairwell, which was the only entrance and exit to their 2nd floor apartment. Both men smelled smoke before opening the front door and discovering the entire stairwell area engulfed in flames. Both victims ultimately jumped out from a second-floor window to escape the fire and immediately assisted in the evacuation of the first-floor unit where children and an adult were inside sleeping. The entire two-story structure was destroyed by fire damage.

Assistant DA Joseph Kinzel commented; “Ruiz inflicted deliberate violence upon her former partner, placing not only him but anyone in the vicinity at significant risk. This behavior is unacceptable, extremely reckless, and a clear threat to public safety.”

Sentencing is set for May 12, 2026. Ruiz faces up to 13 years in prison.