GLENDALE, Ariz. (TCN) — Police recently arrested a 25-year-old man after he allegedly killed his 49-year-old mother and cut off her head before her birthday party.
In a press conference held by the Glendale Police Department, Sgt. Bryan Hoskin said that on the night of Sept. 27, officers responded to a home after a woman called 911 to report finding her sister, Teresa De Jesus Cruz Rubio, deceased and decapitated.
Rubio reportedly failed to show up for her surprise birthday party, prompting family members to check on her. No one answered the door, and relatives had a locksmith help them enter the apartment. Inside, family members saw Rubio deceased, and her sister immediately called 911.
When police arrived, they noticed the shower was still running and there was blood everywhere. Hoskin said authorities found a knife block with several knives placed in the kitchen sink. Police reportedly located a knife in the sink covered in blood and hair, and it appeared as though someone had tried to clean it.
Police discovered Rubio deceased under a blanket. Hoskin confirmed she was fully decapitated, and she sustained stab wounds throughout her body.
The victim’s sister had reportedly loaned Rubio a GMC Yukon, which was missing from the residence. Surveillance footage from the area captured the vehicle driving away earlier that evening. According to Hoskin, the victim’s son, Alejandro Gonzalez, was seen driving the Yukon and never returned to the residence. Hoskin noted that Gonzalez lived with his mother and struggled with “mental conditions.”
Police entered the Yukon into the database as a stolen vehicle, and Phoenix police later located the car. Gonzalez was seen going to and from the SUV, and authorities took him into custody on the morning of Saturday, Sept. 28. Hoskin noted that Gonzalez had blood on his body and clothes, as well as injuries to his hands and arms.
According to police, when detectives interviewed Gonzalez, he admitted to stabbing and decapitating his mother. He reportedly spoke about using meth during the incident and claimed another suspect was involved. However, police said no evidence points to this, but they’re looking into the claim.
Gonzalez was booked into the Maricopa County Jail on charges of first-degree murder and theft of means of transportation.
According to court records reviewed by KTVK/KPHO-TV, Gonzalez has a criminal history, including a conviction for aggravated assault on a police officer. Authorities most recently arrested Gonzalez last week on suspicion of breaking a window at a Fry’s Food gas station. He was released the same day he allegedly killed his mother.