New Mexico Jury Convicts Man Of Cutting Victim’s Head Off, Playing Soccer With It

A New Mexico jury convicted a homeless man Wednesday of first-degree murder for decapitating his victim and then kicking the head about like a soccer ball back in 2021, authorities said.

Joel Arciniega-Saenz, 28, of Las Cruces stabbed James Garcia, 51, “84 times with a small switchblade” on June 20, 2021, Doña Ana District Attorney Fernando Macias announced.

“Arciniega-Saenz decapitated Garcia and severed his finger. The defendant proceeded to ‘play soccer’ with the victim’s head following the murder,” Macias’s statement said.

Arciniega-Saenz is a U.S. citizen, The Las Cruces Bulletin reported. He is an inmate at the Doña Ana County Detention Center, an inmate booking report shows.

A Las Cruces Police Department (LCPD) officer responding to the murder scene in Apodaca Park discovered Garcia’s head approximately 10 yards from the rest of his body, which also lacked a right finger had had multiple stab wounds, KTSM 9 News reported, citing court documents. LCPD officers said they later apprehended Arciniega-Saenz without incident after they discovered him with bloodstains on his hands and boots and near a bloody knife.

Police combing the scene found Garcia’s severed middle finger and a shoeprint near a pool of blood in the area, the documents said, WLOS News 13 reported.

Arciniega-Saenz alleged that Garcia had violated Arciniega-Saenz’s wife four years before the murder, according to KTSM. The convict did not identify the supposed wife. He also claimed Garcia had made away with property belonging to Arciniega-Saenz and his wife while the pair slept prior to the murder.

The three had been spending time together four days before the murder, Arciniega-Saenz told investigators. Arciniega-Saenz also said he was homeless and slept at the park.

Arciniega-Saenz confessed to stabbing and then beheading Garcia before dragging the victim’s body into the street and “then play[ing] soccer with his head,” according to a video interrogation. (RELATED: Officers Left ‘Visibly Shaken’ After Entering Home, Arresting Father For ‘One Of The Most Horrific Things’)

The court faced legal hurdles regarding Arciniega-Saenz’s competency to stand trial before arriving at the verdict, according to Macias.

“Despite lengthy challenges, we remained steadfast in our pursuit of justice for those affected,” Macias said, while also offering condolences to the victim’s family and pledging to ensure safety.

“It’s a great day for justice,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Spencer Willson.

Labeling the murder “a horrific case,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Melissa Garcia hailed the LCPD officers for their tenacity in investigating it.

Arciniega-Saenz has been in trouble with the law several times, according to authorities.

Initially charged with the fatal shooting of an acquaintance, Benjamin Montoya, 21, back in April 2017, Arciniega-Saenz saw his charges dismissed, according to the LCPD.

The LCPD also said they arrested Arciniega-Saenz for allegedly vandalizing two businesses to the tune of over $6,760 combined in April 2021 in incidents caught on video.