Arizona Man Charged in 2017 Murder of Iraqi Refugee

An Arizona man has been charged with the brutal murder of an Iraqi refugee from 2017 and has recently been extradited to the U.S. after a good Samaritan identified him and contacted the victim’s family via GoFundMe.

Michael Anthony Arredondo, 34, was arrested on October 15, suspected of fatally stabbing 25-year-old Evin Paulos during a trip together in June 2017.

According to police reports, the stabbing allegedly occurred after an argument in the car, with Arredondo reportedly attacking Paulos over 30 times.

Paulos reportedly tried to escape, crawling along a desert road for safety, but unfortunately succumbed to his injuries, as his family recounted.

The police first discovered Paulos’ abandoned car at his ex-girlfriend’s home, where it was found covered in blood, and a knife was located in the back seat.

Subsequently, Paulos’ body was located 16 miles from where he and Arredondo lived in Phoenix, discovered beneath some bushes in the brutal Arizona heat. His family described it as being “left to rot.”

The GoFundMe page that was set up initially received minimal attention and faded from memory while the case remained unsolved. However, the case experienced a turning point when a Mexican national stumbled upon the page in September and decided to reach out with new information.

Evin Paulos, the victim’s sister, expressed confusion regarding the stranger’s motive for contacting them, pondering whether it was some kind of divine intervention. “Was it a little angel sending him out to give us some peace of mind?” she questioned during a news conference.

Still, Evin was cautious, taking steps to verify the tip. “I said, ‘Please, I don’t know if this is a scam or not. Can you send me some evidence?’ And it turned out to be him,” she shared.

Within a month, law enforcement agencies including the Phoenix police and U.S. Marshals managed to track down Arredondo. Detective Dominic Roestenberg revealed that Arredondo had fled to California right after the incident but eventually moved to Mexico where he lived for eight years.

After his arrest, Arredondo reportedly confessed to killing Paulos, but didn’t offer any insights into his motive. Roestenberg emphasized that the case is a reminder that “even though time has passed, we are still looking for you and we are still hunting you down.”

Arredondo faces a second-degree murder charge based on a grand jury indictment and currently remains in custody on a $750,000 bail.