A juvenile witness was forced at knife point to clean up after a brutal murder in Phoenix, according to police.
Phoenix police report that on June 26 they were called to a home near 16th and Adams streets, where they found the partially-wrapped body of a man in a bathtub.
Fingerprints identified the victim as Guadalupe Avena Castaneda. An autopsy revealed he was killed by assault and asphyxiation.
Officers found the victim 'hog tied' with a belt, electrical cord, and shoelaces. They also reportedly found blood in the bathroom and cuts to the victim’s face and head.
The next day, a juvenile witness came forward, saying a man he knew as 27-year-old Jovino Carlos Schroeder had invited him into the home for some food. Inside, he saw another man, who he did not know, sitting on the sofa.
Instead of getting food, Schroeder allegedly sat between the two and 'glared at them.' This made both of them uncomfortable, and when they got up to leave, Schroeder reportedly started beating the second man, identified as Castaneda.
Schroeder allegedly continued to beat him even after he was unconscious, saying, "This is what you get for touching my niece!" When the witness tried to leave, Schroeder put a knife in his face and ordered him to help him bind Castaneda and put him in the bathtub, police documents state. The witness was also forced to clean up the blood in the home.
Police say there is no evidence Castaneda and Schroeder knew each other, except for living in the same neighborhood. Officers are also unaware of the alleged sexual assault Schroeder mentioned.
Police say the witness was shaking when relaying to them what had happened.
Schroeder was located and arrested on July 13.
He's being held without bond on charges of child abuse, kidnapping, and first-degree murder.
