A man from New Mexico has been convicted of murder after decapitating a 51-year-old victim and reportedly “playing soccer” with the severed head, as reported by PEOPLE.

Joel Arciniega-Saenz, 28, from Las Cruces, was found guilty of first-degree murder on Wednesday, March 5, in connection with the brutal killing of James Garcia on June 20, 2021, according to Doña Ana County District Attorney Fernando Macias.

Arciniega-Saenz, who was homeless at the time of the crime, “carried out a horrific attack on the victim, stabbing Garcia 84 times with a small switchblade,” Macias said in a statement. The assailant “decapitated Garcia and severed his finger,” said Macias. Following the incident, Arciniega-Saenz went on to “play soccer” with the victim’s head at Apodaca Park in Las Cruces.

On the night of the attack, an officer discovered Garcia’s body lying in the middle of a road on the park’s north side, approximately 10 yards away from his head, as stated in the affidavit. Arciniega-Saenz told detectives that he and his wife had fallen asleep in the park and when they woke up, all their belongings were missing, leading them to believe Garcia was the culprit.

Arciniega-Saenz confronted Garcia and confessed to the police that he had taken a switchblade knife from him and stabbed him multiple times before decapitating him, according to the affidavit. He then claimed to have dragged Garcia’s body into the street and “played soccer with his head.”

#Clique, what are your thoughts?