Diamond Wallace, 31, appeared in Dane County court on Wednesday, charged with first-degree intentional homicide in the shooting death of former coworker Christine Jones, 61, of Cottage Grove. Jones was found shot dead Sunday morning in a downtown Madison parking ramp on West Washington Avenue while heading to work.
Wallace, arrested Monday outside a Milwaukee Street apartment with a gun recovered from her residence, previously worked with Jones at a downtown hotel. Fired last April, Wallace allegedly slashed Jones’ tires and had accused her of racism, expressing upset over Jones’ support for President Donald Trump, per the criminal complaint. Bail set at $2 million.
Offering details about the case, an official court document explained, “Call notes indicated that the caller believed that this individual, who was identified and for this complaint is referred to as CAJ, had fallen, and Madison Fire Department (MFD) units were dispatched accordingly.”
“Upon arriving at the scene, located on Level D of the parking garage, MFD personnel indicated that CAJ had sustained a gunshot wound that did not appear self-inflicted, and CAJ was ultimately pronounced deceased at the scene,” the report added.
“While speaking with hotel staff, MPD personnel learned that a former employee, verbally identified as Diamond S. Wallace, was believed to have been involved in this incident and responsible for CAJ’s death,” investigators added.
“Per Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) search, Wallace had changed her name to Sainte La Rell Vargas in April of 2025. Hotel staff, including the general manager, referred to Vargas as Diamond, and advised MPD personnel that Diamond had several incidents of returning to the hotel and causing disturbances or otherwise expressing threatening behavior since having been terminated from hotel employment,” the same document added.
“Additional investigation also yielded information that Wallace had previously broken an employee’s phone in April of 2025 and was believed to have slashed CAJ’s tires on her Chevrolet Silverado around the same time in 2025, as well,” the police explained.
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Offering an insight as to the motive, the court complaint read, “CAJ’s family informed MPD officers that the hotel had paid for the necessary repairs to CAJ’s vehicle and thus may have an internal incident report documenting the same. Wallace had additionally previously accused CAJ of being racist and had expressed animosity towards CAJ for being a Trump supporter.”
“Hotel staff further reported that Wallace blamed CAJ for her termination and had threatened her after she was terminated,” investigators reported. Later, upon confronting the suspect, police officers discovered more damning evidence.
The same document asserted ” Detectives proceeded to execute a search warrant signed by Judge McNamara on 3324 Milwaukee Street, Apartment 14, during which they located a blue hooded sweatshirt and a .380 caliber Hi-Point handgun inside of a black backpack. The handgun was partially loaded, and the ammunition bore the headstamp “PMC,” which matched evidence at the scene of the crime.
However, Diamond Wallace maintained her innocence. “In subsequently interviewing Wallace at the Central District, she claimed not to have known the victim, CAJ, nor recalled having any incidents of note or disturbances with other employees of the hotel when she was employed there. Wallace indicated that she kept to herself and did not mix work with her personal life,” the document stated.