MESA, AZ — Police are investigating a stabbing in Mesa that left a man dead.
On Friday, August 12, police were called to the intersection of Extension Road and University Drive for reports of an injured person.
When they arrived they found a man, 46-year-old Jose Feliciano, covered in blood. He was pronounced dead by Mesa Fire Department medics.
It was later announced in court documents that Feliciano suffered multiple sharp force injuries to the heart, lungs and liver.
After interviewing witnesses, reviewing surveillance video from a nearby QuikTrip, and other evidence, police were able to identify a possible suspect nearby.
They spotted Roberto Villareal walking south on Extension while holding a knife. He had blood on his clothing, according to a police report.
During a police interview, authorities say Villareal admitted to the stabbing.
He claimed that prior to the stabbing, he and Feliciano walked to a dark area where Feliciano pulled out a knife and tried to rob him of a lighter, according to police documents.
Villareal says he knocked the knife from Feliciano's hand, grabbed it from the ground, and then used it to stab him.
He also admitted to stealing Feliciano's digital tablet from the scene and "planned to sell it for money because he is homeless and had no money."
Villareal has been arrested and is facing charges of first-degree murder and armed robbery with a deadly weapon.
