Man stabs acquaintance 23 times because he ‘ruined his day,’ Arizona police say
A beer run ended in a fatal stabbing at an Arizona apartment, police said.
Luis Humberto Perez Soto, 23, of Guatemala was arrested on a second-degree murder charge in the killing Saturday of another man in Phoenix, according to court documents.
The victim was identified as 23-year-old Kevin Gomez Vasquez by KSAZ-TV.
Perez Soto is accused of stabbing the victim, whom he knew, 23 times after one of his friends went to grab beer, Phoenix police said in a probable cause statement and a news release.
The friend got into an argument with the victim in the apartment courtyard, leading the men to throw bottles at each other, the statement says.
One person pulled out a knife and the victim ran off, police said. Perez Soto told authorities he grabbed the knife and chased after the man because “he ruined his day,” the statement says.
Once Perez Soto reached the victim, he stabbed the man several times, authorities said.
Then he and two other men fled and left the victim lying on his back bleeding from the stab wounds on a sidewalk near the apartment complex, the probable cause statement says.
Police then discovered the man unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.
A witness told authorities four men left an apartment to confront the victim. One carried a bat and another held a knife, the statement says.
Police arrested them the following day.
Perez Soto’s bail is set at $1 million. A preliminary hearing is set for Oct. 19.
This story was originally published October 12, 2021 at 2:56 PM with the headline "Man stabs acquaintance 23 times because he ‘ruined his day,’ Arizona police say."
