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Man Allegedly Beheads Another Man, Then Uses The Severed Head As Soccer Ball
Joel Arciniega-Saenz allegedly stabbed James Garcia and beheaded him and then kicked his head at cars.
A New Mexico man has been denied bond once again for allegedly beheading a man in a park and then using his head as a soccer ball.
Joel Arciniega-Saenz, 25, was denied bond on Tuesday after a judge determined him to be dangerous to the community, local outlet KVIA reports. The judge ordered him to remain in jail until his trial for the death of James Garcia.
The body of Garcia, 51, was discovered near Las Cruces’ Apodaca Park on Father’s Day, the Las Cruces Sun-News reported last month. He had been stabbed several times, decapitated, and at least one of his fingers had been cut off.
Police allegedly found Arciniega-Saenz nearby the scene the next day covered in dried blood stains and carrying a knife, FOX11 reported. He was arrested and charged with first-degree murder for the killing.
Arciniega-Saenz, who is houseless, allegedly admitted the murder to investigators, telling them he killed Garcia over stolen items. He claimed he slept nearby Garcia and when he awoke, his belongings were gone. He then allegedly went to the park to confront Garcia, taking his switchblade from him before attacking him.
He allegedly told police that “he dragged (Garcia’s) body into the street and then played soccer with his head,” according to a probable cause statement obtained by the Albuquerque Journal.
Arciniega-Saenz allegedly admitted, “that he kicked (Garcia’s) head at 14 different cars.”
Arciniega-Saenz has charged with first-degree murder before. He was indicted for the 2017 shooting murder of a man named Benjamin Montoya. However, those charges were dismissed after the key witness for the prosecution was found with a similar gun to the one that killed Montoya.
Earlier this year, Arciniega-Saenz was named a suspect in a vandalization case, which resulted in four fourth-degree felony counts.
The Las Cruces Police Department has not immediately responded to Oxygen.com’s request for comment. It’s not clear if Arciniega-Saenz has an attorney.
