Police say a young couple worked together, both accused of stabbing an Anaheim man after a New Year's Eve party.
Just hours into 2014, police got a call about a stabbing in the 5900 block of East Shields. They found a 31-year-old man with multiple stab wounds. Detectives quickly arrested 23-year-old Jessica Wills, a specialist in the California Army National Guard. Now they say, evidence proves that Wills didn't act alone in the crime.
Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer said, "The autopsy has shown stab wounds from what appeared to be different weapons, which is why we think both Jessica Wills and Jacqueline Benavides her married partner were both responsible for the stabbing and death of the victim."
The victim is from Anaheim and had come up to Fresno with his girlfriend to celebrate the New Year. All were partying at a different location and had come back to the Villa Del Sol apartment complex in East Central Fresno when a fight broke out.
Dyer tells Action News, "The male victim became physical with his girlfriend and the other two females at some point intervened and stabbed the victim and killed him."
The Chief says that physical activity prompted the suspect, to grab a knife. The California National Guard confirms that 23-year-old Jessica Wills is a specialist who is on reserve status. Dyer said, "All four were either in the National Guard, or currently in the National Guard, they were friends, even though the victim lived in Anaheim and came to Fresno all of them were friends".
Police also say there was a lot of alcohol but no word as to what led up to the violence and what that argument was about. The National Guard couldn't discuss this case but did say generally, they wait on an outcome before deciding a service member's future with the Guard.
