Authorities discovered the dismembered remains of an 80-year-old Air Force veteran Nov. 1 at his home in Phoenix, Arizona.
Phoenix law enforcement said Sunday that two individuals, Thomas Wallace and Romana Gonzales, are being held after they allegedly tried to pawn off the chain saw used to cut the victim’s body into pieces, ABC News reported. The chainsaw reportedly still had chunks of flesh in the 10-inch saw.
The victim’s identity was not initially released, but was later reported as Kenneth Peterson, according to Fox10.
REPORT: Coroner Says He Cried, Couldn’t Eat For A Week In Most Heinous Crime He’s Ever Seen https://t.co/fW0coOo8sO
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Wallace, 58, was a roommate of the victim, and Gonzales would stay at their home from time to time, according to local reports. Police said both were found with the victim’s pickup truck at a motel nearby the home they shared and have allegedly pawned off his other items within the last month.
Investigators discovered the victim’s remains while responding to a welfare check, ABC News continued. Various body parts were found in black trash bags and in a pile of blankets inside of a bedroom at the home. Blood was discovered on the ceiling, walls, furniture, and the victim’s head was found inside layers of linens by homicide investigators. (RELATED: Bodybuilder Allegedly Murdered Ex-Wife, Incinerated Her Body In Backyard)
Wallace is being held on suspicion of second-degree murder, concealing a dead body, theft of a pickup truck and trafficking in stolen property and is on a $1 million cash bond. Gonzales, whose age was not released publicly, has been jailed on suspicion of fraud and theft, ABC reported.
Gonzales has denied all involvement and inferred that Wallace was involved in the victim’s death, Fox10 reported.