Police in Arizona have arrested a man they believe murdered a U.S. Army captain during a car sale gone wrong.
The Phoenix Police Department says officers found the body of 27-year-old David Navidad-Parra, a U.S. Army captain, lying on the ground near an intersection around 9:15 p.m. on Dec. 16 and determined he had been shot to death, KSAZ-TV reported.
Navidad-Parra had been reported missing earlier that same night after last being seen letting a man test drive his vehicle during a car sale.
Around the same time Navidad-Parra’s body was found, firefighters responded to a report of an abandoned car on fire and determined it was involved in the homicide investigation.
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"The fire department was having a really hard time putting out the flames. It looked like obviously the car was tampered with because normally fires go out pretty easy, but this one looked like it was pretty hard to fight," said a neighbor named Kyle.
Two days later, police say they arrested 29-year-old Abel Uribe in connection to the murder.
Uribe has been charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping.
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"Transactions are always going on, it doesn't matter the time of the year," Phil Krynsky with the Phoenix Police Department said. "You should always keep your guard up and make sure you put multiple barriers up to prevent this type of activity from happening."
Krynsky added that people who are trying to sell their cars to strangers should do so in well-lit and public places.
"Of course, you are always welcome to the parking lots of maybe the police departments. There are also areas that convenience stores have cameras, that people like to make these transactions at because there are a lot of surveillance cameras," he said.
Arizona Democratic Congressman Ruben Gallego said his office nominated Navidad-Parra to West Point a few years ago.
"I’m extremely saddened to learn of the murder of David Navidad-Parra. Our office got to know David a few years ago, and we proudly nominated him to attend West Point," Gallego said. "My thoughts are with David’s family during this tragic time."
