Maryvale High School stabbing: Suspect in deadly incident charged as an adult

Maryvale HS stabbing suspect identified by police

A teenager who was arrested in connection with the deadly stabbing at Maryvale High School in Phoenix is being charged as an adult, and court documents are revealing new details on the incident. FOX 10's Lauren Clark reports.

PHOENIX - We have learned that a teen who was arrested in connection with the deadly stabbing at Maryvale High School on Aug. 19 is being charged as an adult.

The backstory:

According to a statement released by Phoenix Police, a Phoenix Police officer who was working as a School Safety Officer for Maryvale High School was alerted by school staff members at around 10:54 a.m. that an assault had happened inside a classroom.

"The officer was directed to the administration building, where he detained one of the students involved," police said. "A second student was located by officers and firefighters suffering from multiple stab wounds. He was quickly treated on scene and rushed to the hospital, where he died from his injuries."

On Aug. 20, police identified the victim as 16-year-old Michael Montoya II.

Dig deeper:

On Aug. 21, Phoenix Police identified the suspect as 16-year-old Chris Daniel Aguilar.

Per court documents related to the case, Aguilar is accused of a count of second-degree murder.

Chris D. Aguilar (Courtesy: Maricopa County Sheriff's Office)

According to investigators, one post made on social media stated that Aguilar and Montoya met up on Aug. 18 for a deal, and Montoya allegedly robbed Aguilar of a firearm.

"The defendant was mad about the robbery and made statements that he was going to murder the victim," read a portion of the court documents.

Investigators state there were multiple witnesses to the stabbing, including two teachers. One of the witnesses said on the day of the incident, Aguilar moved seats and sat next to Montoya.

"The defendant punched the victim multiple times, then produced a pocketknife from the side of his pants," investigators wrote. "This witness observed the defendant stab the victim three times."

Police say the knife was later collected by school security, and placed in the school principal's office. The knife was described as a four-inch folding knife, with Aguilar's name etched into the handle.

Following Aguilar's arrest, court documents state he was taken to the Phoenix Police headquarters. After he was advised of his Miranda rights, Aguilar requested that his parents be present during the interview.

"With the parents present, the defendant stated he did not want to speak with investigators and requested an attorney," read a portion of the court documents.

County Attorney Weighs In:

On Aug. 21, we asked Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell on why the suspect is not facing first degree murder charges for premeditation.

"That’s what was submitted to our office, second-degree murder, but we always keep an eye open for that," said Mitchell. "The things you point out are absolutely factors that we would look at, but you also have to look at premeditated to do what. To attack, or to kill? So those are other factors we will look at, but nothing is off the table."

What's next:

A judge has set a cash-only $500,000 bond for Aguilar, who is scheduled to have his preliminary hearing in court on Aug. 28.