Man found guilty of decapitating victim and playing soccer with his head in the park

A New Mexico man who decapitated a 51-year-old victim and “played soccer” with his head has been found guilty of murder.

Joel Arciniega-Saenz, 28, of Las Cruces, was convicted of first-degree murder on Wednesday, March 5 for the grisly slaying of James Garcia on June 20, 2021, Doña Ana County District Attorney Fernando Macias announced.

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 attacker “decapitated Garcia and severed his finger,” said Macias. After that, Arciniega-Saenz proceeded to “play soccer” with the victim’s head in Apodaca Park in Las Cruces.

Arciniega-Saenz said he kicked the victim’s head at 14 different cars in the park, according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by local station KTSM.

“It’s a great day for justice,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Spencer Willson said in the statement. “Our office remains committed to working diligently to make our streets safer, one case at a time.”  

On the night of the attack, an officer found Garcia’s body in the middle of a road on the north side of the park, about 10 yards from his head, according to the affidavit.

Arciniega-Saenz told detectives that he, his wife, and Garcia were hanging out in the park, where he said he slept, four days before the murder, according to the affidavit.

On the day of the murd£r, he said he and his wife fell asleep and when they woke up, they discovered that all of their belongings had been stolen, the affidavit states. They believed Garcia to be responsible.

Upset, Arciniega-Saenz found Garcia and confronted him, admitting to police that he took a switchblade knife from Garcia and stabbed him several times with it before decapitating him, per the affidavit.

After that, he said he dragged Garcia’s body into the middle of the street and “played soccer with his head.”

Chief Deputy District Attorney Melissa Garcia thanked police for their perseverance in bringing the case to justice.

“Although our office prosecuted this case, the real heroes are the Las Cruces Police Department officers,” she said in the statement. “This was a horrific case that they investigated and stuck with from beginning to end.”

Macias noted that the verdict came “after a lengthy legal process marked by challenges surrounding the defendant’s competency.”

He continued, “Despite lengthy challenges, we remained steadfast in our pursuit of justice for those affected.”