A Wisconsin man was arrested after he allegedly killed his mother before he covered her head with cat litter and set her bed on fire.
Rodolfo Gonzalez was charged with first-degree intentional homicide, recklessly endangering safety, arson, mutilating a corpse and resisting an officer following the incident that took place on Sunday, July 26.
Authorities learned of the crime when police officers and firefighters responded to an apartment fire in New London, Wisconsin, according to a probable cause arrest affidavit viewed by WLUK.
After the responding firefighters learned that the smoke was coming from a fifth-floor apartment, they found an unresponsive woman on her bed who had suffered from stab wounds to the neck.
Officers said that a fire had been set between her legs, while they also found cat litter covering her head. The woman was pronounced dead at the time.
An investigation was launched into the situation, and authorities reviewed video footage that allegedly showed Gonzalez, 39, entering the apartment while seemingly holding a book. Gonzalez, who lived at the apartment with his mother, reportedly entered the home around the time the fire started.
At the time of the fire, Gonzalez was already facing attempted murder charges that stemmed from a “violent incident” that involved his mother in February. However, Gonzalez was deemed incompetent to stand trial, according to WLUK.
After they looked at the footage, officers found Gonzalez a few hours later sitting on a bench near an elementary school. Authorities tried to take him into custody, and he allegedly resisted arrest. He was then put in leg shackles as officers looked through his belongings, and they found two lighters and a Bible.
An autopsy was performed on the mother, which determined she died from multiple sharp force injuries to the neck. Officials concluded she was already dead by the time Gonzalez set the apartment on fire because there was no soot in her lungs or CO2 detected in her blood.
It is not currently clear if Gonzalez had a motive for the killing.
Following his arrest, Gonzalez was taken into custody at the Waupaca County Jail and is being held on a $1 million bond. He is next scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday, 4.
It is not currently clear if Gonzalez has entered a plea or retained legal counsel following his arrest. The Waupaca County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to Us’ request for comment regarding the case.
