EL MIRAGE, AZ — A man is facing multiple charges, including second-degree murder, after police say he killed his father and hid the body in a pit in El Mirage.
According to a probable cause statement provided by El Mirage police, a trooper from the Arizona Department of Public Safety and El Mirage officers responded to reports of a suspicious death near El Mirage Road and Grand Avenue on Wednesday morning.
Authorities say a person called police and said they were asked to retrieve items from the residence by 35-year-old Michael Lee Rodriguez the day before, and discovered the body at that time.
When police went to the residence, officers noticed a strong odor that led them to a "heavily decomposed body in a pit in a carport", according to the paperwork.
The paperwork reports that the victim had cuts and lacerations on his face as well as a plastic bag over his head.
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According to the probable cause statement, Rodriguez was found a few blocks from the scene while officers were investigating. He was not immediately detained. During that initial contact, police say Rodriguez admitted to a longstanding conflict with the victim, his father, said "I lost it," and told officers he blacked out.
He also reportedly said he returned the following morning and placed the victim in the pit.
Later that afternoon, Rodriguez was taken into custody.
According to the statement, after his arrest, Rodriguez waived his Miranda rights and was interviewed by detectives. He admitted to killing the victim. He told detectives he hit the victim on the head with a bar and later returned to place the body in the pit. Rodriguez denied using a gun or knife.
Rodriguez is facing charges of second-degree murder and abandonment or concealment of a dead body. He is being held on a $2,000,000 cash bond.
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