A “beloved” Arizona teacher was decapitated and stabbed multiple times by her felon's son after relatives became concerned when she failed to show up to his surprise birthday party, disturbing revelations have been made. .
On September 27, the headless body of Teresa DeJesus Cruz Rubio was found inside the Glendale apartment she shared with her 25-year-old son, Alejandro David Gonzalez.
The 49-year-old Southwest Key Program teacher said she had been in touch with her sister throughout the day to make sure she was attending the family gathering, which turned out to be a surprise party for her. Glendale Police Department.
“When the victim did not show up to the party, her family became suspicious and went to the house to try and get her, but to no avail,” said Glendale Police Sgt. Brian Hoskin said at a press conference.
The family went to her house, but could not access the locked windows or doors and had to call a locksmith to help them get inside.
They arrived at the home around 11:30 p.m., where they discovered the horrific scene.
Police found blood stains throughout the “small apartment” where the shower was still running and a knife block in the kitchen sink that contained several knives.
“The victim was completely decapitated and had numerous stab wounds to his abdomen, chest and arms,” Hoskin said.
Police said one of the knives found had blood and hair on it, suggesting someone had tried to wash it.
Cruz-Rubio's sister told police he had lent her a burgundy GMC Yukon SUV, but the car was nowhere to be found.
Police said Gonzalez had been released from jail about 24 hours earlier after committing another felony.
Cruz Rubio picked up her son from prison and drove him home. According to AZ Central.
He is suspected of stealing an SUV and fleeing the area.
Gonzalez suffered from a “mental condition” and could have killed his mother, Hoskin and Fox 10 Phoenix reported, citing court records.
Video surveillance captured the murder suspect driving his truck westbound at 4:52 p.m., and 30 minutes later Gonzalez contacted his family using his mother's phone.
The SUV was reported missing, and Phoenix police found the vehicle around 2:40 a.m. on Sept. 28 near 99th Avenue and Interstate 10.
Gonzalez was seen entering and exiting cars several times in an SUV and was arrested 50 minutes later.
Police found blood on Gonzalez's body and “wounds” on his clothes and hands and arms.
Gonzalez admitted to police that he stabbed his mother before claiming he cut her head off.
The murder suspect told police he used methamphetamine and said he had another suspect.
The man told investigators he smoked methamphetamine with a black man who was riding his bicycle in the neighborhood, the newspaper reported, citing a police report. The man said he “did something to my mother” and then “made me stab her or something.”
Police said they have found no evidence to support claims that Gonzalez is the second suspect, but the investigation is ongoing.
Gonzalez was charged with felony counts of first-degree premeditated murder and theft of transportation.
He was booked into the Maricopa County Jail on $1 million cash-only bail.
“It's absolutely terrifying,” said Sgt. Hoskin said. “It's horrifying for the families who had to endure this and it's horrifying for the police officers who had to go and see this.”
“When you find yourself in a situation where you can kill your mother in a crime as heinous as it was, this person has the potential to cause violence wherever he goes,” said Jose Santiago, media relations manager for the Glendale Police Department. He’s a person,” he said.
“When a situation like this occurs, all of our officers get involved and try to get this person off the street as quickly as possible, because the last thing they want is to see another family victimized. ” he added.
Santiago said the Victims' Advocacy Center is working with Cruz-Rubio's family and law enforcement officers who experienced the trauma of a “very gruesome and bloody scene.”
