A man was arrested for murder after another man was found dead in a hotel parking lot in Mesa.
On October 19, Mesa police were called to the Ramada Inn near Dobson and Baseline Roads in response to a welfare check.
When officers arrived at the scene, they discovered 32-year-old Austin Parton dead in the parking lot from a gunshot wound to his upper back.
Police say Parton was at the parking lot answering an online advertisement for Apple products.
Parton reportedly purchased used and broken Apple products to repair and resell them. Parton’s car, iPhone, and two laptops were missing from the scene.
The online site "Offer Up" assisted police in identifying 24-year-old Michael Alexander Abel as the person who placed the ad.
Police say they located the victim’s car five days later in Phoenix. Officers found Abel that same day after seeing another online ad for the sale of a MacBook Pro.
They say they found multiple Apple devices in his home and ammunition matching the type used in the murder.
Abel is being held on a $750,000 bond on charges of first-degree murder.
