Man Arrested for Hiding a Decomposing Body in a Garage for Months

By: ABQ RAW staff

POSTED: 12/13/2022 @2:15PM

Suspect David Knotts booking mug from MDC.

NE Albuquerque – On September 22nd, 2022, in the late afternoon, The Albuquerque Police Department conducted a search warrant at a house near the 12200 block of Vienna Dr. NE. As the search warrant was being served they found a badly decomposing body wrapped in carpet. The deceased victim was identified as Alex Renner, 37-year-old of, Albuquerque. David Knotts, 52, of Albuquerque is charged with the murder.

PATREON MEMBERS CAN READ THE CRIMINAL COMPLAINT: patreon.com/posts/75883473

According to a criminal complaint, The Albuquerque Police Department were contacted on June 9th, 2022, when family members reached out because they had not heard from Renner in over a month. The family kept in contact with APD and gave them a tip about Renner possibly being murdered and dumped in the East Mountains. In July, APD went out to the location in the East Mountains and found no signs of a crime committed there.

12224 Vienna Dr. NE on the night of September 22nd, 2022 when APD served the search warrant.

The complaint goes on to say, in August of this year, a family member informed APD that suspect David Knotts and Renner were friends. Knotts allowed Renner to stay at the 12224 Vienna Dr. NE house. On August 9th, 2022, APD detectives went to the house to interview Knotts. They arrived and smelled something rotting near the front of the residence. They interviewed Knotts about Renners location and Knotts kept changing the subject and said the two often argued over “things”. The conversation ended with Knotts getting into a rideshare and leaving the residence.

APD homicide detectives talk in the mobile RV about the case of the decomposing body on September 22nd, 2022.

We spoke to many witnesses in the neighborhood and they said they never smelled anything and were surprised to hear there was a rotting corpse in the homes garage.

A month and half later more information and tips were gathered about Renner being killed and that his body was being stored at the Vienna Dr. NE residence. Finally, another search warrant was approved on September 22nd, 2022. When APD detectives entered the residence they noticed a strong odor in the corner of the garage where they then found Renner’s body. APD detectives also found blood and several firearms inside the home. The complaint says an autopsy revealed Renner was shot in his head.

The complaint goes on to say that cell phone data from Renner’s phone last put him at the Vienna Dr. house around May 4th, 2022. It is unclear how long the body was at the residence decomposing but there were exposed skeletal remains showing when it was retrieved from the house.

Neighbors tell us that Knotts had recently moved back into the house after the murder scene was cleared up and so they called police. He was finally arrested on December 12th, 2022 at the Vienna Dr NE. home. He is charged with first degree murder and tampering with evidence. Knotts does have a past criminal record consisting of shoplifting and stealing motor vehicles.