Woman found dead at Renaissance Hotel in downtown Phoenix, suspect arrested
PHOENIX - A man was arrested weeks after a woman was found dead inside an upscale downtown Phoenix hotel.
Phoenix Police say officers were called to the Renaissance Hotel, near Central Avenue and Adams Street, at around 3:30 a.m. on July 5 for reports of a shooting.
A security guard found a woman who had been shot in the back inside a hotel room. The woman, 28-year-old Desiree Serpas, was pronounced dead at the scene.
On July 23, police said 40-year-old Dominique Jackson was arrested in connection to the incident.
Documents claim officers that night detained a naked man, Jackson, walking around the property. Records show Jackson was the registered guest of the room, telling officers he believed the victim was a demon.
During Jackson's initial court appearance, his lawyers argued that police didn't have probable cause to arrest his client.
Prosecutors say Jackson and Serpas have children together and when Jackson went to pick up their kids, he would not tell Serpas' family where she was or what happened to her. Prosecutors also said Jackson's clothes were found in the hotel room and had a significant amount of gunshot residue on them.
There was a gun too in the room, reportedly registered to Jackson.
Jackson was booked into jail and is accused of murder. His bail is set at $50,000.
In front of a judge on July 23, Jackson’s attorney suggested there wasn’t enough evidence on his client, claiming there was another person inside the hotel room, and multiple people were in and out.
Court documents say the other person, a woman, in the room claimed she and a friend met Jackson and Serpas at a bar, and she went back to their hotel nearby. That other woman says they had been drinking, and her memory was not really clear, but she woke up and saw what she thought was the victim passed out on the floor.
Jackson's attorney also said another male's DNA was found.
The judge agreed that the evidence wasn’t high at this time, but still agreed to bail, noting the serious offense.
"The court is going to set bail in your case at $50,000 secured, which is the single lowest bond this court has ever set on a murder charge," the judge said.
Copa América team staying at Renaissance Hotel
Members of the Panama soccer team were at the hotel ahead of a Copa América match. However, police say no information suggests the death was connected with the team's stay at the hotel.
"I’m in shock right now. I didn’t know," said Tony Martinez, who was in Phoenix to cover the match.