A 20-year-old former student at the University of New Mexico has been charged with the stabbing death of a homeless man in Albuquerque. Jaylen Hopewell, who was already being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center for his alleged role in a fatal shooting, faces charges of open murder, robbery, and tampering with evidence.
According to police, Hopewell's connection to the surveillance footage of the March 20 killing of Genovevo Rodriguez-Resendiz outside a downtown church was made by an APD detective who noticed his resemblance to a suspect in the video. When shown a still image from the footage, Hopewell became visibly nervous and struggled to answer additional questions.
Rodriguez-Resendiz's body was discovered on the porch of the First Presbyterian Church with multiple sharp force injuries, including defensive wounds and a severe stab wound that severed his windpipe and carotid artery. A subsequent search of Hopewell's university dorm room uncovered disturbing handwritten notes detailing anatomy of the human throat and mechanics of handheld strangulation devices.
Hopewell is also one of five people charged in connection with the May 13 shooting death of Eden Rock, a case that stems from an ongoing feud between the victim and another suspect. The attack was allegedly a premeditated ambush.