Woman arrested in connection with deadly stabbing at Surprise church parking lot: PD

Surprise Police say they have a woman in custody for her alleged role in the death of a man who was found at a church parking lot on May 27.

The backstory:

According to our initial report on the matter, crews were sent to the area of 114th Avenue and Bell Road. In a statement, police say they responded to the scene at around 6:00 a.m., after they were contacted about a man who was lying face-down in a church parking lot.

Video taken in the area showed evidence markers scattering across the scene in a parking lot. However, police at the time said that none of them marked shell casings.

What We Now Know:

In a statement released on May 28, police identified the victim as 28-year-old Tyrone Lee Wetzler. He was declared dead at the scene.

"Investigators learned Wetzler and two other individuals, all of whom were known transients in the area, were allowed to stay on the church grounds," read a portion of the statement. "One of the female individuals with Wetzler, 32-year-old Kahpri Wells, admitted to detectives she had a fight with the victim the night before. Wells further admitted to stabbing Wetzler at the church during the altercation and then fleeing the scene."

Dig deeper:

Per relevant court documents, Wetzler went by the first name "Ty," and a person he was staying with told police that he met Wells about a week prior. That person also told police that Wells and Wetzler were friends, and that prior to Wetzler's death, he and Wells had an argument over music volume.

"He said that at some point, [Wetzler] had thrown some things against the wall of the church," court documents read, while noting that the person admitted to having memory issues, and "takes medication for mental health and developmental issues."

The man, per court documents, later told investigators that Wells "came to him as he was laying down and said that she thought she hurt [Wetzler], and that they needed to pack up and leave."

Investigators said the two initially walked to Wells' mother's home, where they slept in the backyard. The man was later contacted by police at a convenience store on the morning of May 27. Wells was taken into custody as she was leaving her mother's home in a rideshare.

Kahpri Wells (Courtesy: Maricopa County Sheriff's Office)

Kahpri Wells (Courtesy: Maricopa County Sheriff's Office)

What's next:

Police said Wells has been booked into jail, and accused of first-degree murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Meanwhile, a judge has set a $1 million bond for Wells. An investigation into the deadly incident remains ongoing.

What you can do:

Surprise Police officials said anyone with information on the incident can contact them by calling (623) 222-TIPS (8477).

Si tiene alguna información sobre este caso, llame la Policia de Surprise al (623) 222-TIPS (8477).

Area where the victim was found

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