Arizona man admitted to decapitating his mother before surprise party, police say

An Arizona man faces a murder charge after authorities say he decapitated his mother before her own surprise birthday party Friday.

The woman was supposed to go to a family reunion to celebrate her birthday, but she never showed up, Sergeant. Bryan Hoskin of the Glendale Police Department said during a news conference Monday afternoon.

A person called police around 11:41 p.m. Friday night and said a family member at a home in Glendale, about 10 miles northwest of Phoenix, had been decapitated, Hoskin said.

When police arrived, they found the front door of the small apartment open. The shower was running and there was blood in the area, Hoskin said. Officers also found the victim, Teresa De Jesus Cruz Rubio, 49, under a blanket.

The victim had stab wounds to the abdomen, chest and arms, authorities said.

Officers searched the house to see if anyone else was inside and in the kitchen sink they saw a knife block and several knives, Hoskin said.

Investigators said they found one of the knives in the kitchen sink was covered in hair and blood and it appeared someone had tried to clean the knives.

Victim’s son had just been released from prison, police say

Hoskin said the victim’s sister last spoke to the victim around 3:40 p.m. Friday. When Rubio didn’t show up, her family became concerned and tried to enter the house.

“The doors were locked,” Hoskin said. “The windows were locked. There were no signs of forced entry.

Shortly before 11:30 p.m., a local locksmith helped the victim’s family enter the home, where they found her dead and called police.

The victim’s sister had previously let her drive a burgundy GMC Yukon SUV and the family noticed the vehicle was not at the home, Hoskin said. He said the victim’s son, Alejandro Gonzalez, 25, lived with the victim and was recently released from prison on “an unrelated matter” with another agency.

Gonzalez suffers from “mental issues,” Hoskin said. He later added that his family members had told detectives about his mental illness.

Family members also told police the suspect was capable of killing his mother, the Arizona Republic newspaper, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported.

Detectives say they used missing vehicle to find suspect

Detectives working on the case reviewed video surveillance and traffic cameras in the area, noting that the GMC Yukon was seen in the area between 4:50 p.m. and 5 p.m., Hoskin said. The victim’s son was driving the vehicle but never returned to the apartment.

Investigators registered the GMC Yukon in a database as a stolen vehicle. The vehicle was found in a gas station parking lot, the Arizona Republic reported.

Detectives began surveillance of the car and the surrounding area and saw Gonzalez enter and exit the vehicle, Hoskin said. He was taken into custody on Saturday around 3:30 a.m.

“They noticed there were traces of blood on his body and clothing, as well as injuries to his hands and arms,” Hoskin said.

When detectives interviewed the man, he admitted to stabbing his mother and “claimed to have cut her head from her body,” Hoskin said.

According to the Arizona Republic, Gonzalez told investigators his mother picked him up from jail and dropped him off at her house. He told investigators he smoked methamphetamines with a black man who was riding his bike in the neighborhood.

Gonzalez told investigators the man “did something to his mother” and then “made me stab her or something,” the outlet reported.

According to Gonzalez, the man told her “she wouldn’t feel anything.”

“No evidence showed it as detectives examined the scene and all the evidence they collected,” Hoskin said during the news conference. “The investigation is ongoing and they are looking into allegations from another suspect.”

Gonzalez was booked into the county jail system for first-degree premeditated murder, a felony, as well as theft of a conveyance, Hoskin said.

Hoskin called the beheading “horrible” for the family members who found the victim, as well as the detectives who investigated.

“It’s horrible and traumatic for people who live in the area, worried about the type of crimes that are happening in the community,” he said.

Jose Santiago, the police department’s media officer, said he believed Gonzalez had only been free for 24 hours when he beheaded his mother.

The police department is providing mental health resources to employees working the case. The department also has the Glendale Family Advocacy Center, which works with victims and their families, Santiago said.

Gonzalez is being held on $1 million cash bail, the Arizona Republic reported.

Contributors: Lauren De Young and Skylar Heisey, The Arizona Republic

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY’s NOW team. She is originally from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Follow her on Twitter at @SaleenMartin or send him an email at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Arizona man decapitated his mother before her surprise party, police say