Phoenix Man With ‘Long Criminal History’ Arrested After Headless Body Found Concealed in Apartment Closet

Officers from the Phoenix Police Department responded to a report of a homicide near Thomas Road on May 7 and found a dismembered body of a man hidden inside a closet in an apartment.

While the victim’s identity has not been revealed, the suspect has been identified as 32-year-old Christopher Michael Ebanks. According to court documents, the victim and his girlfriend were arguing over rent payments when she contacted the victim’s associate, “Draco,” who was later identified as Ebanks.

While Ebanks was called to resolve the matter, he allegedly got into a fight with the victim. The woman told police that as the argument escalated, she saw Ebanks stab her boyfriend multiple times with a hatchet.

Ebanks then allegedly told the woman to drive him to his apartment and forced her, at knifepoint, to take a shower to remove stains and destroy evidence. Meanwhile, the woman was able to contact her father, who eventually called the police around 9 p.m.

As officials entered the apartment, they noticed a foul odour and found various bleach bottles, cleaning supplies, and chemicals scattered on the floor. Officers then opened a hallway closet and discovered the victim’s corpse. The body, wrapped in a carpet, was missing its head and hands and had been tied with an extension cord.

On May 8, Ebanks was arrested at his apartment after police reviewed surveillance footage from the area. He has been charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping. On May 8, he appeared before a judge who set his bond at $1 million.

Ebanks requested the judge to reduce his bond, citing his financial condition. “Because I’m indigent, is there any way you could reduce that bond to make it $500,000, something that’s a possibility for me? A million dollars is just not doable,” he said. However, the judge rejected his request, highlighting the nature of his crime.

The judge said, “Well, at this point, sir, I’m comfortable with the bond. Once you meet with your attorney and there’s more evidence, your attorney can file a motion to modify the release conditions. But at this point, I think the bond is appropriate given what I know.” Ebanks is scheduled to appear in court again on May 14.

Ebanks has a long criminal history. He was previously convicted of armed robbery and aggravated assault and was released from prison in April. Phoenix Police Sergeant Robert Scherer described the gruesome nature of the murder in a statement to AZFamily.

“This is brutal. This is awful. This is, you know, a word [that] almost doesn’t, it’s not good enough to really describe this. It’s one thing to murder someone. It’s another thing to go through dismemberment afterwards,” he said.

However, officials believe that the victim’s girlfriend was not involved in the crime. “She’s in fear for her life. Our detectives are extremely confident that this individual is a victim and extremely confident that anything that they may have done throughout this whole scenario was in duress,” Scherer revealed.