PHOENIX, AZ - A man in his thirties has been arrested in connection with the death of a man who police say was found dismembered inside a suitcase in the alleged suspect's home.
The alleged suspect, 32-year-old Christopher Michael Ebanks, was charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping following the discovery, according to court documents reviewed by PEOPLE. Ebanks' arrest came after the Phoenix Police Department (PPD) was alerted to a possible homicide at an apartment around 9:00 p.m. on May 7.
The caller, Jeffrey Majalco, told authorities that he was contacted by his daughter, Selena Blanco, who claimed her boyfriend had been killed by a man. She told her father that the body was inside the apartment, according to a probable cause statement. He told authorities that the deceased victim was put in a bathrub, before he was "wrapped up and put in a closet."
Upon arriving on scene, police officers stated that they smelled bleach and cleaning chemicals, and that they observed wet floors and cleaning supplies. Authorities also found blood and "signs of cleanup efforts throughout the apartment," per the probable cause statement.
As PPD's Homicide Unit began investigating the incident, officers discovered the remains of a decased male, who was missing his head and hands. The dismembered remains were allegedly wrapped in carpeting and an air mattress, and tied up with an extension cord.
Police have yet to identify the victim or his relationship to the suspect. During the investigation, Blanco told police that her boyfriend, the alleged victim, contacted Ebanks, whom she identified as "Draco," to help him obtain rent money on May 6.
Blanco told police that she, her boyfriend and Ebanks got into an argument, and as the agrument escalated, she claimed that Ebanks used a knife to repeatedly stab the man. She also claimed that Ebanks forced her to drive him to his Glendale, Arizona apartment, where she says he made her take a shower in order to "destroy evidence," and used a knife and gun to threaten her into helping him clean up the scene.
Police used surviellance video, phone records and information obtained from Ebanks' prior criminal record to determin his location the following day, on May 8. After executing a search warrant, they allegedly discovered a suitcase with human remains inside the apartment.
Ebanks was booked on the first-degree murder and kidnapping charges, and a judge set a $1 million cash bond. His next court appearance is scheduled for May 14. At the time of his arrest, Ebanks was on probation after pleading guilty to charges of misconduct involving weapons and possession of a dangerous drug in 2023.
The alleged suspect, 32-year-old Christopher Michael Ebanks, was charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping following the discovery, according to court documents reviewed by PEOPLE. Ebanks' arrest came after the Phoenix Police Department (PPD) was alerted to a possible homicide at an apartment around 9:00 p.m. on May 7.
The caller, Jeffrey Majalco, told authorities that he was contacted by his daughter, Selena Blanco, who claimed her boyfriend had been killed by a man. She told her father that the body was inside the apartment, according to a probable cause statement. He told authorities that the deceased victim was put in a bathrub, before he was "wrapped up and put in a closet."
Upon arriving on scene, police officers stated that they smelled bleach and cleaning chemicals, and that they observed wet floors and cleaning supplies. Authorities also found blood and "signs of cleanup efforts throughout the apartment," per the probable cause statement.
As PPD's Homicide Unit began investigating the incident, officers discovered the remains of a decased male, who was missing his head and hands. The dismembered remains were allegedly wrapped in carpeting and an air mattress, and tied up with an extension cord.
Police have yet to identify the victim or his relationship to the suspect. During the investigation, Blanco told police that her boyfriend, the alleged victim, contacted Ebanks, whom she identified as "Draco," to help him obtain rent money on May 6.
Blanco told police that she, her boyfriend and Ebanks got into an argument, and as the agrument escalated, she claimed that Ebanks used a knife to repeatedly stab the man. She also claimed that Ebanks forced her to drive him to his Glendale, Arizona apartment, where she says he made her take a shower in order to "destroy evidence," and used a knife and gun to threaten her into helping him clean up the scene.
Police used surviellance video, phone records and information obtained from Ebanks' prior criminal record to determin his location the following day, on May 8. After executing a search warrant, they allegedly discovered a suitcase with human remains inside the apartment.
Ebanks was booked on the first-degree murder and kidnapping charges, and a judge set a $1 million cash bond. His next court appearance is scheduled for May 14. At the time of his arrest, Ebanks was on probation after pleading guilty to charges of misconduct involving weapons and possession of a dangerous drug in 2023.
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