KEY WEST, Fla. – Police arrested a Key West man Sunday morning after they said he stabbed his 37-year-old cousin twice in the back over a possible eviction, critically wounding him.
Elvis Genaro Savia-Mayorga, 36, is facing three felony charges, including attempted second-degree murder.
According to Key West police, the stabbing happened just before 3 a.m. at a home in the 1200 block of Flagler Avenue, shared by the suspect, victim and several “family or life-long friends.”
Detectives said a married couple living at the house reported being awakened by the victim, Juan Victor Artola-Diaz, and Savia-Mayorga fighting.
Witnesses told police they found the victim on top of Savia-Mayorga, who was holding a serrated knife, an arrest report stated.
One of the roommates intervened and struggled to disarm Savia-Mayorga, sustaining a cut in the process. Another roommate witnessed the altercation and saw Savia-Mayorga stabbing Artola-Diaz, police said.
Detectives, while at the crime scene, said they observed bloodstains consistent with a reported fight, along with significant blood on the bed where the victim collapsed. Artola-Diaz was found in the apartment’s bathroom, bleeding from two deep stab wounds to his back.
He was transported to the Lower Keys Medical Center, then airlifted to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital in critical condition.
Savia-Mayorga, when interviewed, had visible blood on his clothing and injuries to his eyes and fingers, according to the report.
Savia-Mayorga was taken to the Key West Police Department for further investigation, where he waived his Miranda rights and admitted to “cutting” the victim but claimed that he acted in self-defense, according to police.
He claimed Artola-Diaz had come home that night in an “argumentative” state and had been talking about evicting some of the roommates, something Savia-Mayorga disagreed with, police said.
Savia-Mayorga claimed that he had armed himself after Artola-Diaz approached him in an “aggressive” manner.
Artola-Diaz remained in the intensive care unit Monday, a police spokesperson said, but his condition had stabilized.
Savia-Mayorga was being held without bond in the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Key West jail facility as of Monday afternoon.
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