Joel Arciniega-Saenz Las Cruces man decapitates man at Apodaca park, kicks severed head at cars. History of prior murder.
A New Mexico man with an extensive rap sheet has been charged with killing and decapitating a 51-year-old man at a local park Sunday — then kicking the severed head around, according to reports.
Joel Arciniega-Saenz, 25, was charged with first-degree murder in the slaying of James Garcia at a Las Cruces park, where cops found him near the murder scene with a bloody knife and dried blood on his clothes, Fox News reported.
Authorities said he later confessed to the grisly slaying, allegedly admitting dragging the victim’s body into the street and kicked his severed head around.
Along with having been decapitated, the victim was observed to have had several stab wounds to his upper body and his middle right finger had been removed according to KTSM.
Arciniega-Saenz said he kicked the victim’s severed head at 14 different cars. An officer with the Las Cruces Police Department found Garcia’s head about 10 yards from the rest of his body.
Beat 2017 murder rap
Arciniega-Saenz who said he was homeless and slept at the park, claimed Garcia had robbed him days earlier and had raped his wife several years ago. Cops have found no proof or evidence of the suspect’s claims.
He had been arrested on an unrelated vandalism charge as recently as last month but was released on $2,000 bail over prosecutors’ objections.
He was also charged in a fatal shooting in 2017, but that case was dropped after a key witness was found to own a gun of the same caliber as the murder weapon, Fox reported.
Krystal Montoya, the sister of Benjamin Montoya, the victim in the 2017 shooting, lashed out after Arciniega-Saenz’s new arrest.
‘I prayed he wouldn’t do it again and ruin someone else’s family,’ Krystal Montoya told FoxNews. ‘I just was very angry because they let a monster out.’
‘I don’t want this guy to be released again and go do something stupid and go hurt another family again,’ she said. ‘No matter how much I hurt for my brother, I can say that I hurt for this person’s family. He needs to be put away, period.’
Arcienega-Saenz is being held at the Dona Ana County Detention Center without bail.
