James David KellyPHOENIX (CBS5) -
Mesa police arrested a man they said fatally stabbed one of his friends after an argument about the suspect's girlfriend.
James David Kelly was arrested and charged with one count of intentional second-degree murder on Wednesday.
Police said they were responding to a reported suicide at 8732 E. Onzo Ave., where they found Brandon Crowther with a deep puncture wound to his neck. Kelly and two other residents, including his girlfriend were also at the location.
Crowther was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police then interviewed the three remaining residents. During the interviews, Kelly was identified as the suspect in the homicide.
Kelly told police he and his girlfriend had been staying with Crowther for a few days because the victim had been depressed and seemed like he wanted company.
Kelly told police that he had confronted Crowther Monday night for sending inappropriate text messages to Kelly's girlfriend. Kelly said Crowther admitted to wanting to date his girlfriend and told Kelly and his two other guests to be out of the house by the morning.
Police said Kelly told them that Crowther had taken his girlfriend's cell phone and then went to sleep on the couch. Kelly said he was trying to retrieve the phone when Crowther woke and swung a Chef's-type knife at him.
Kelly told police he grabbed a paring knife off a nearby table and stabbed Crowther twice, while he was still lying on the couch. Kelly said he told his girlfriend to call the police, while he wrapped up the knives and put them in a suitcase in one of the bedrooms.
Police said they found the Chef's knife described by Kelly in a red suitcase, but the paring knife was not there. They later found the blood stained knife buried in the back yard of the home.
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