Court documents revealed that a man who stabbed and killed another with a screwdriver after deliberately pinning him between two cars in Phoenix had been hearing voices since early 2024.
Miguel Preciado, 38, was arrested Wednesday in connection with the killing of Ethan Jaaziel Felix. Preciado was subsequently booked into Maricopa County jail on several felony charges.
In a police interview, Preciado said he had been hearing voices since February 2024 but did not know why he did what he did, according to arresting documents.
Felix and Preciado reportedly did not know each other but lived in the same building near 16th Street and Thomas Road in Phoenix, police found.
Investigators believe Preciado intentionally struck Felix while reversing his car, trapping Felix’s lower body between the rear of Preciado’s vehicle and the rear of Felix’s car in an apartment complex parking lot around 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 27. Preciado then allegedly picked up a screwdriver from the ground, stabbed Felix multiple times, and fled the scene shortly afterward.
Police found Felix, 35, with serious injuries. He was transported to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead an hour later, authorities said.
Court documents indicate that the timing of Preciado reversing and striking Felix, along with surveillance footage showing Preciado observing Felix in the parking lot, led investigators to conclude that the act was intentional.
On Dec. 30, Preciado’s car was found by local law enforcement in the desert south of Saguaro National Park near Tucson. When contacted by the responding agency, Preciado told authorities he had committed a homicide in Phoenix, court documents said. Preciado was detained by the Pima County Sheriff’s Office and taken to Phoenix.
After returning to Phoenix, Preciado told police he “did not want to believe he stabbed the victim” and claimed he went to the desert intending to die after the incident, according to court documents. Preciado also alleged that Felix and a friend had been talking about him prior to the altercation.
Court documents emphasized that police found no evidence suggesting any prior interaction between Preciado, Felix, and Felix’s friend, who witnessed the killing.
Felix leaves behind five children, his family told FOX 10.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Man killed after being pinned between two cars, stabbed with screwdriver