PD: Mesa man admitted to killing girlfriend, body found 2 months later

MESA, AZ - Police say a Mesa man who over the weekend admitted to his father that he killed his girlfriend kept her body in his apartment for two months.

According to Mesa police Sgt. Ed Wessing, officers on Tuesday arrested 35-year-old Erik Grumpelt.

Grumpelt told police he killed his girlfriend, 39-year-old Malinda Raya, because she allegedly cheated on him with other men in his bed.

Wessing said Grumpelt admitted to killing Raya on May 19. The body was in his apartment until Monday.

“I can’t believe this kind of thing happens around here,” said neighbor Manual Garcia.

During an interview with investigators, Grumpelt reportedly said he assaulted Raya back in May and struck her several times in the lower abdominal area while laying on their bed.

WATCH VIDEO OF GRUMPELT'S INITIAL COURT APPEARANCE WHERE HE CORRECTS A DEPUTY ON HOW HE KILLED RAYA

Wessing said Grumpelt then left his girlfriend for a short period of time and returned to find her unresponsive in the bed.

He said he tried to perform CPR, but Raya never regained consciousness.

Grumpelt said he then panicked and initially put the body under the bed. As the odor from the body got worse, he started to wrap it in bed sheets, Wessing said.

When police officers arrived at the apartment Monday, they could smell a strong odor of decomposition outside the front door, Wessing said.

Officers then entered the apartment and found the body in a bedroom covered in multiple layers of bed sheets.

According to Wessing, there were several room fresheners in the bedroom and what was believed to be carpet freshener sprinkled around the body.

Grumpelt has been charged with one count of second degree murder.

His father Frederick declined to comment when contacted by ABC15.

Raya was a mother of two. Her ex-husband also declined to comment.