Neighbors of man found dead in his car in Chaparral accused in murder
EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14) — The arrest affidavit for Jevare Stephawn Freeman-Handy, 35, details how 37-year-old Rodolfo Fuentes was killed and discovered weeks later in the backseat decomposing under clothes and in a duffel bag.
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Fuentes' body was discovered on Dec. 7 when employees of an impound lot in Chaparral, New Mexico got suspicious about a foul odor coming from a Chevrolet Trailblazer.
Employees opened the vehicle and found Fuentes' body decomposing in a duffle bag, according to the affidavit.
New Mexico State Police and Otero County's Sheriff's Office responded, but the deputies with the sheriff's office had already been alerted of Fuentes' body days before.
On Nov. 20, a Chaparral resident called deputies to report that Freeman-Handy and Sunshine Urbina, 34, had told them they had killed Fuentes and his body was hidden in his Chevrolet Trailblazer.
The resident told investigators when Freeman-Handy and Urbina told them the story, they asked the two to get beer and lent Freeman-Handy and Urbina their pickup truck to go to the store.
While the two left, the vehicle with Fuentes inside was parked at 868 Amador Drive.
The resident called authorities to report the alleged murder.
Deputies with the Otero County's Sheriff's Office spotted the two riding the resident's pickup truck and conducted a traffic stop, according to the affidavit.
A deputy spoke with Freeman-Handy and Urbina and let them go on their way since there was not enough evidence to search the Chevrolet Trailblazer at the caller's home.
Deputies returned the caller's pickup truck to them and left the Chevrolet Trailblazer parked at 868 Amador Drive.
The next day, a New Mexico State Trooper went out to investigate after they were alerted of Fuentes' body in the Chevrolet Trailblazer.
Lapel video obtained by KFOX14 showed deputies with the Otero County's Sheriff's Office and New Mexico State Police looking at the exterior of the Chevrolet Trailblazer.
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A person who lives on the property is heard complaining about the smell to authorities.
Authorities did not search the inside of the vehicle and ended up leaving the scene.
The affidavit states the next day a towing vehicle removed the Chevrolet Trailblazer from the property on Amador Drive and took it to the impound lot at 776 Hermosa Drive in Chaparral.
Fuentes' body was discovered at the impound lot.
The document stated that Fuentes' body was wrapped in a plastic bag with his legs wrapped with an extension cord.
The body was partially placed inside a duffle bag.
Clothing was placed on top of Fuentes, stated the affidavit.
New Mexico State Police investigators stated that Fuentes was found in a state of decomposing, with his pants down and in a fetal position.
On Dec. 10, investigators with the Otero County Sheriff's Office and with the District Attorney from the 12th Judicial Court's Office provided details of the case to the El Paso Police Department.
El Paso police learned that Freeman-Handy and Sunshine Urbina resided at San Marcos Apartments in the Lower Valley and were neighbors of Fuentes.
Detectives met with Urbina on Dec. 12 and found out what allegedly happened to Fuentes.
Urbina told El Paso police detectives she was assaulted by Freeman-Handy at their apartment before Nov. 20.
She said Freeman-Handy left the apartment after the assault and then encountered Fuentes who was alive inside the Chevrolet Trailblazer.
She accused Freeman-Handy of assaulting Fuentes to the point of incapacitation and placing Fuentes in the back seat of the SUV.
Urbina said Freeman-Handy then drove the SUV closer to her apartment and honked until she came out.
She told police Freeman-Handy told her to drive to a secluded area of the apartment complex.
She said she heard Fuentes moaning and possibly heard him say "Homie."
Urbina said she parked near a trash dumpster and saw Freeman-Handy striking Fuentes in the buttocks with an object and then witnessed Freeman-Handy strangle Fuentes' head and neck with a white ligature.
She said Freeman-Handy told her he "broke every bone in his body."
Urbina told detectives she didn't hear Fuentes talk, breathe or move anymore.
According to Urbina, she was told by Freeman-Handy to drive around El Paso with Fuentes' body.
Urbina said she drove for about one and a half to two days before Freeman-Handy and her got to the residence at 868 Amador Drive in Chaparral.
While Urbina and Freeman-Handy were there, Urbina said she mixed cleaning supplies and gave them to Freeman-Handy to clean a section of the floorboard in the SUV that was stained with Fuentes' blood.
Two days later, Freeman-Handy, who was in custody already for an unrelated charge, was interviewed by El Paso police detectives about Fuentes' death.
Freeman-Handy claimed Fuentes let him borrow the Chevrolet Trailblazer.
Freeman-Handy told detectives there was blood in the vehicle and that he did drive it to Chaparral.
He denied that Fuentes' body was in the vehicle when he used it.
Detectives interviewed Fuentes' girlfriend who said she last spoke to Fuentes on Nov. 12.
Fuentes' girlfriend told detectives that Fuentes would stay in his Chevrolet Trailblazer and would park in front of her apartment at San Marcos Apartments.
She mentioned to investigators that she saw Freeman-Handy very upset because Freeman-Handy believed Fuentes had left with Urbina.
Fuentes' girlfriend said she stopped seeing Fuentes and Urbina around the same time she stopped seeing Freeman-Handy around.
Police found a white shoelace ligature and a crowbar containing suspected blood during a search of Fuentes' Chevrolet Trailblazer.
An autopsy revealed that Fuentes had several fractures to his ribs.
Freeman-Handy was rebooked for the murder of Fuentes.
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