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Man found dead near 15th Avenue and Broadway; homicide investigation underway

Man found dead near 15th Avenue and Broadway
Posted at 6:55 AM, Oct 15, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-15 23:28:47-04

Police have arrested a woman after her boyfriend was found dead Sunday night.

Phoenix firefighters responded to the area of 15th Avenue and Broadway Road around 5 p.m. They arrived to find the body of 49-year-old Michael Moreno. Detectives were called to investigate.

Police said Moreno was found handcuffed and had "large bruises to his torso," according to court paperwork.

Investigators believe his girlfriend, 45-year-old Lazara Sanchez, beat him to death.

Police said Sanchez and Moreno started fighting after returning from a trip to the Phoenix Children's Museum with their grandchildren on Saturday.

Court paperwork says investigators obtained surveillance video from inside and outside their home showing Sanchez attacking Moreno with various items, including a one-gallon paint can, unopened cans of beer, an aluminum baseball bat and a red broom handle.

In an interview at police headquarters, officers say Sanchez admitted to hitting Moreno with the items because she was upset with how he behaved at the museum. 

She was taken into custody at the scene and has been charged with two counts of aggravated assault pending an autopsy by the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office.

A judge set her bail at $150,000.