“Gruesome Details Emerge in Death of Jose Gutierrez: Suspect Admits Dismemberment”

Gruesome details have emerged from court documents regarding the death of a man in Phoenix, Arizona, whose dismembered body was discovered in the Maryvale area. The body was found on July 28, 2023, after a report of a foul odor.
Here is what you need to know about the case.
Please be advised that this story contains graphic content.

Has the victim been identified?

The victim, identified as 34-year-old Jose Gutierrez, was officially identified on June 29, 2023.

What about the suspect?

The suspect, Carlos Guadalupe Leon Soto, was arrested on July 18. However, the police announced his arrest on July 26.

What happened in this case?

Court documents have revealed the gruesome details of the incident.
According to investigators, Soto confessed during an interview, after being read his Miranda rights, that he had met the victim around June 19, 2023, while working at a Mexican food store. They slept in the same bed, but Soto denied any sexual relationship with Gutierrez.
“Approximately three days after meeting, [Soto] stated that [Gutierrez] overdosed inside his apartment. The overdose occurred while [Soto’s roommates] were out of town for several days,” read a portion of the court documents.
Soto admitted that he feared deportation and disposed of Gutierrez’s body by dismembering it inside the apartment using a kitchen knife. He then flushed the victim’s organs down the toilet and stored various body parts in plastic and garbage bags.
“[Soto] placed the bags inside a wagon,” according to the court documents. “[Soto] transported the bags down the alleyway located south of his apartment, in between 39th Avenue and 41st Avenue, towards the location where [Gutierrez’s] human remains were later recovered.”
Court documents also state that Soto cleaned the apartment and disposed of the cleaning items following the dismemberment. Investigators found Gutierrez’s arms, lower torso, and legs inside two trash bags. Soto directed them to the location where the victim’s head had been disposed of.

What charges does Soto face?

According to court documents, Soto is accused of the following offenses:

• First-degree murder
• Abuse of a dead body
• Concealing a dead body

All of these offenses are felonies, as stated in the court documents.

Are there other recent cases involving dismemberment?

This is not the only recent case involving dismemberment in Arizona. On July 24, a man in Casa Grande was arrested for the death and dismemberment of his father. In a separate international case, the murder and dismemberment of Hong Kong model Abby Choi also made headlines earlier this year.