An Arizona man who called 911 claiming to have stumbled across his girlfriend’s lifeless body has now been charged with her “very brutal and horrific murder,” officials said.
Kyle Collins, 37, called police on Tuesday last week saying he was performing CPR after finding his girlfriend, Cierra Tellez, 36, unresponsive in their apartment in Mesa, Fox 10 Phoenix reported.
But first responders found Tellez died from “significant injuries,” sparking a homicide investigation that led to Collins being arrested Friday and charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping.
“This was a very brutal and horrific murder,” a prosecutor said during Collins’ initial appearance, according to AZ Family.
“We believe that Mr. Collins is a very dangerous individual.”
A neighbor said that he was hanging out with Collins on Monday, July 20 — the day before the 911 call — and “everything was fine, nothing was off.”
Collins came to the neighbor’s door early the next morning, saying he had gotten into a fight with Tellez.
“He came out, flipping out,” the neighbor said. “He came and knocked on my door and was telling me about it, and then went and called his mom and was on the phone with his mom for an hour.”
Collins then told the neighbor he was heading to work, but he never showed up, his employer told investigators. He finally called 911 around 11 a.m.
Investigators discovered a pair of blood-stained shorts and a bronze metal rod believed to be the murder weapon.
“I’m speechless, honestly. I never would’ve guessed a day in my life,” the neighbor said.
Collins is being held on a $1,250,500 bond. He’s due back in Maricopa County Court on July 29.
