New Mexico criminal, 25, is charged with murder after he 'admitted to decapitating man, 51, and kicking his severed head against cars' Joel Arciniega-Saenz, 25, was arrested for the murder of James Garcia, 51, in Las Cruces on Sunday Arciniega-Saenz allegedly admitted to decapitating Garcia in a park Investigators said he claimed that Garcia had robbed him and raped his wife Arciniega-Saenz was previously arrested in 2017 for the shooting death of a 21-year-old victim but the charges were later dismissed He was released from jail last month after an arrest for vandalizing a coffee shop By Mo Jazi For Dailymail.Com Published: 20:27 BST, 23 June 2021 | Updated: 20:27 BST, 23 June 2021 Viewcomments Joel Arciniega-Saenz, 25, (pictured) was charged with the murder James Garcia, 51, in Las Cruces, New Mexico, on Sunday A known criminal in New Mexico has been charged with murder after he allegedly admitted to decapitating a man and then kicking his severed head against cars. Joel Arciniega-Saenz, 25, was arrested on Sunday for killing James Garcia, 51, at Apodaca Park in Las Cruces. Police responding to calls from witnesses about a body in the middle of a road across from the park arrived to find Arciniega-Saenz with a bloody knife and dried blood on his hands. The suspect told investigators that he was homeless and lived at the park. He said he killed Garcia because he claimed - without apparent evidence - that Garcia had robbed him and raped his wife. Records showed Arciniega-Saenz had been released from jail just last month and was previously accused but later cleared of fatally shooting a man in 2017. Law enforcement officers are seen investigating the crime scene where Arciniega-Saenz, 25, allegedly admitted to murdering Garcia at Apodaca Park on Sunday Police responding to calls from witnesses about a body in the middle of a road across from the park arrived to find Arciniega-Saenz with a bloody knife and dried blood on his hands The Las Cruces Police Department said it has been unable to confirm Arciniega-Saenz's allegations against Garcia. 'We have not been able to verify the allegations or determine if the suspect is/was married,' Public Information Officer Dan Trujillo told DailyMail.com on Wednesday. The suspect had said that he, his unidentified wife and Garcia had been hanging out at the park four days prior to the incident. They all fell sleep, Arciniega-Saenz said, and when he woke up he found that Garcia had left with their belongings. He claimed Garcia had raped his wife several years earlier but did not offer any details. The suspect said he went to confront Garcia on Sunday, chasing him down before stabbing him several times and cutting off his head. The suspect dragged his decapitated body to the street and kicked his head at 14 oncoming cars. Arciniega-Saenz had also cut off Garcia's middle finger. Officers found a shoe print next to a pool of blood at the park where the victim's finger was also found. Officers from Las Cruces Police Department were dispatched to Apodaca Park in New Mexico where Joel Arciniega-Saenz, 25, murdered James Garcia Garcia's sister, Krystal Montoya, became furious when she heard the news about the suspect. 'I prayed he wouldn't do it again and ruin someone else's family,' she said. 'I just was very angry because they let a monster out.' 'I don't want this guy to be released again and go do something stupid again and go hurt another family again,' said Montoya. 'No matter how much I hurt from my brother, I can say that I hurt for this person's family. He needs to be put away, period.' Arciniega-Saenz has a history of criminal charges. He faced First Degree Murder (Willful & Deliberate) on April 22 in 2017 in the death of 21-year-old Benjamin Montoya, but he was released when a key witness was found with a gun of the same caliber as the one used to kill Montoya, Fox News reported. He was also arrested and charged with Criminal Damage to Property (Over $1000), Burglary of a Vehicle and Non-Residential Burglary on April 24 of that same year too. Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility