Suspect confesses to unprovoked killing in Phoenix, PD says

PHOENIX – A suspect was arrested in connection to a decomposing body that was found near a Phoenix canal on Sept. 22.

The backstory:

On Sept. 22 at around 11:45 a.m. near 36th Street and Portland Avenue, Phoenix Police officers responded to a nearby canal and found a man “in the beginning stages of decomposition with obvious signs of trauma.”

The victim was identified as 48-year-old Efrin Victor Evangelista.

Evangelista’s death was considered to be a homicide.

Dig deeper:

On Sept. 24, the Phoenix Police Department said Bryan Flores Barrientos, 23, was arrested in connection to Evangelista’s death, and that he admitted to shooting him.

His arrest was made possible because detectives recalled a Sept. 19 report from someone who “reported seeing a suspicious man in the area of 35th Street and McDowell Road after shots were heard.”

At the time, officers weren’t able to find Evangelista’s body based on the information they were given.

“Detectives re-interviewed the witness, and based on the information provided, video surveillance was collected that helped identify the suspect, 23-year-old Bryan Flores Barrientos,” Phoenix Police Sgt. Phil Krynsky said.

Barrientos was arrested on Sept. 23 and reportedly admitted to shooting and killing Evangelista, unprovoked.

“Barrientos admitted to detectives that he shot Efrin Evangelista without provocation and hid the gun at a relative’s home sometime after the shooting. Detectives were able to secure search warrants and locate the possible firearm used by Barrientos,” Sgt. Krynsky said.

Map of the area where the incident happened