GLENDALE, Ariz. — WARNING: Some details in this article may be disturbing to some readers.
Glendale police arrested a man who is accused of killing his mother after the woman was found decapitated inside the family's apartment on Friday, court records show.
Alejandro Gonzalez, 25, was arrested on Sept. 28 after officers conducted a welfare check at an apartment near 43rd Avenue and Bethany Home Road and discovered blood throughout the residence.
Officers located the mother, identified as 49-year-old Teresa De Jesus Cruz Rubio, underneath a blanket. Her decapitated body sustained several stab wounds, police said.
A family member told Glendale police the mother's birthday was on Saturday but she failed to show up for a family celebration.
Family members believed Gonzalez was living with his mother at the apartment, records show.
Gonzalez was released from jail on unrelated charges less than 24 hours prior to his mother's murder, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office.
He had been arrested on a felony charge of criminal damage, but the Maricopa County Attorney's office sent the case back to Phoenix Police requesting more evidence.
When he was detained by officers, the suspect allegedly had what appeared to be dry blood on his legs and socks.
Gonzalez allegedly told police he smoked drugs with an unidentified man he met in the neighborhood. The suspect claimed this man started stabbing his mother and so Gonzalez also began to harm the woman with a knife, records show.
Glendale police noted they found no evidence to suggest another person was involved in the mother's death but the investigation is ongoing.
The suspect is facing charges of murder and theft.
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