Woman Fatally Stabbed in East Fort Worth, Cousin Charged with Murder

FORT WORTH, Texas - A 21-year-old Fort Worth man accused of fatally stabbing his cousin told investigators he attacked her as she slept and continued stabbing her while she begged him to stop, according to an arrest affidavit released by Fort Worth police.

Jaykel Addler Vanegas-Martinez has been charged with murder in connection with the Aug. 30 killing at an apartment near Oakland Hills Drive in east Fort Worth.

The investigation began around 2:45 a.m. Sunday when Fort Worth Police Department East Division officers were dispatched to a reported stabbing in the 2100 block of Handley Drive. Officers were then directed to the 6000 block of Oakland Hills Drive, where they found a woman with multiple stab wounds inside an apartment.

The Fort Worth Fire Department responded, but the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to the arrest affidavit, police learned of the killing after a friend of Vanegas-Martinez called authorities and reported that Vanegas-Martinez had confessed to stabbing his cousin.

The friend told investigators he had given Vanegas-Martinez a ride to an area off East Lancaster Avenue. As Vanegas-Martinez got out of the vehicle, he said in Spanish that he had stabbed his cousin with a knife and made a cutting motion across his throat, according to the affidavit.

The friend initially thought Vanegas-Martinez was joking. After returning home, however, he decided to call police.

Investigators were directed to Vanegas-Martinez's apartment on Farnswood Drive near Oakland Hills Drive. When no one answered the door, officers forced their way inside to check for anyone who might be injured.

Police found a naked woman lying on the floor of a rear bedroom with multiple stab wounds.

Officers also found a large knife on a kitchen counter covered with what appeared to be blood, according to the affidavit. Men's clothing that appeared to have blood on it was found on the bathroom floor.

Investigators learned Vanegas-Martinez was near the 4700 block of East Lancaster Avenue and had contacted another friend for a ride. Officers found him outside a shopping center and took him into custody without incident.

Police said Vanegas-Martinez had blood on his shirt and what appeared to be recent injuries to his arms.

During an interview with investigators, Vanegas-Martinez said he had returned home around 3:30 a.m. and smoked crack cocaine on the balcony before going to sleep, according to the affidavit.

He told police that after waking up, he retrieved a large knife and went into his cousin's bedroom while she was asleep.

Vanegas-Martinez said his cousin was lying face down when he began stabbing her an unknown number of times, according to the affidavit.

She "begged him to stop," investigators wrote.

Vanegas-Martinez told police he then changed his clothes, took a shower and called a friend to pick him up. He said he left the knife inside the apartment.

Fort Worth police later announced that Vanegas-Martinez had been charged with murder under Texas Penal Code 19.02.

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office will officially identify the victim and determine her cause and manner of death.

Anyone with information about the killing can contact Fort Worth police at 817-392-4330 or Tarrant County Crime Stoppers at 817-469-8477.

The case is being investigated under report number 260065486.