Albuquerque –
As we reported to you last night, officers from the Albuquerque Police Department swiftly apprehended the offender from last night’s stabbing incident in the 1400 block of 7th St. N.W. We have since learned that APD detectives charged Clay Sanchez for the fatal stabbing of his neighbor, Andrew Mazetta, during a fight on Tuesday evening.
Another neighbor told detectives he heard scuffling noises shortly after 6:00 PM on Tuesday behind his home in the 1400 block of 7th St., N.W. The resident said he saw Sanchez and Mazetta fighting. When he separated the two men, he noticed Mazetta was bleeding and Sanchez had a kitchen knife in his hand. The neighbor asked Sanchez what he did and Sanchez ignored him and went inside his apartment. The neighbor then returned inside his own apartment and called 9-1-1.
Responding officers found the 56-year-old Mazetta on the ground with stab wounds, and he died at the scene. The criminal complaint detailed that Mazetta’s body was in the courtyard, noting a deep laceration on his right forearm and a large, gaping, deep stab wound to his chest.
Officers said a man, later identified as Sanchez, walked out of a nearby apartment covered in blood. He was detained and later arrested after detectives obtained an arrest warrant.
When officers searched Sanchez’s apartment, the shower floor was wet and there appeared to be a spot of blood on the edge of the sink. There was also a smear that appeared to be dried blood on the door frame of the bathroom near the sink. The criminal complaint mentions that a large kitchen knife, measuring approximately 14 inches in length and possibly having blood on the handle, was taken into evidence.
Detectives learned during the investigation that Sanchez and Mazetta had an ongoing dispute. Mazetta told his girlfriend that his motorcycle was stolen earlier in the day.
Sanchez, 50, is charged with an open count of murder and tampering with evidence. He was booked into MDC on May 7th at 10:35 AM.
As always, anyone named is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Clay Fidel Sanchez’s MDC Booking Information: https://viaintfacep2.bernco.gov/custodylist/Detail/22340159733025