Inset: Joel Arciniega-Saenz (Doña Ana County Jail). Background: Apodaca Park in Las Cruces, New Mexico (Google Maps).
A jury in New Mexico convicted a 28-year-old man for stabbing a victim 84 times, decapitating him and then proceeding to “play soccer” with the head in a public park, prosecutors said.
Joel Arciniega-Saenz was found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of 51-year-old James Garcia. The vicious attack occurred on June 20, 2021, at Apodaca Park in Las Cruces, which is located in southern New Mexico some 45 miles north of El Paso, Texas. The Doña Ana District Attorney’s Office said in a press release that the case was delayed by challenges over Arciniega-Saenz’s competency.
Arciniega-Saenz was homeless and reportedly living in the park where the murder occurred. He used a switchblade to carry out the attack and also severed Garcia’s middle finger, according to prosecutors.
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“Despite lengthy challenges, we remained steadfast in our pursuit of justice for those affected,” District Attorney Fernando Macias said in a statement. “We extend our condolences to the family and loved ones of James Garcia and reaffirm our commitment to holding violent offenders accountable and ensuring the safety of this community.”
Chief Deputy District Attorney Melissa Garcia praised the work of law enforcement.
“Although our office prosecuted this case, the real heroes are the Las Cruces Police Department officers. This was a horrific case that they investigated and stuck with from beginning to end. We commend and appreciate their dedication,” she said.
As Law&Crime previously reported, Arciniega-Saenz confessed to the gruesome crime after his arrest.
According to a probable cause arrest affidavit obtained by local NBC affiliate KTSM, Arciniega-Saenz owned up to the murder as retaliation for Garcia allegedly raping his wife four years ago. The defendant told police that the three of them were hanging out together days prior to the murder when he and his wife fell asleep. Arciniega-Saenz went on to tell officers that when he woke up, Garcia had left and stolen all of their belongings, police claim.
The defendant then allegedly said he confronted Garcia at the park, took a switchblade from him, stabbed him to death, decapitated him, and “then played soccer with his head.” He allegedly admitted to kicking the victim’s head toward 14 separate vehicles.
He became an immediate suspect in the killing after officers who responded to reports of a body lying on the ground allegedly found him with “significant blood stains” on his clothes and saw “a bloody knife stuck in the ground near where he was seated,” according to the affidavit cited by local ABC affiliate KVIA.
The defendant in the Garcia killing has previously dodged a murder charge.
Arciniega-Saenz was originally the lead suspect in the 2017 shooting of 21-year-old Benjamin Isaac Montoya. The once-and-future murder defendant allegedly got into a fight with Montoya at a hotel in Las Cruces, leading to the victim being fatally shot in the chest. The murder weapon was never found, however, and prosecutors dropped charges in 2018. It’s unclear if Arciniega-Saenz remains a suspect in the case.
“I just got angry,” Montoya’s sister, Krystal Montoya, told El Paso Fox affiliate KFOX at the time of Arciniega-Saenz’s arrest. “I stared at my phone and at the floor and got angry.”
This isn’t the first time those memories have been unceremoniously dredged up.
Arciniega-Saenz was the subject of media scrutiny a month before the Garcia murder after being accused of throwing rocks at businesses in the Mesquite Historic District of Las Cruces.
“At first I read it and I was like ‘Oh god there is another one’,” Montoya told the outlet. “When the name was said I was like ‘That name sounds very familiar.””
Colin Kalmbacher contributed to this report
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