Phoenix man charged with murder after bloody clothes link him to killing

PHOENIX  – A 29-year-old man has been arrested on murder-related charges after Phoenix police said blood evidence and his own admissions linked him to the killing of a 51-year-old man, who was found dead inside a north Phoenix home.

Officers responded just before 6:30 p.m. Monday to the area of 31st Avenue and Cheryl Drive for a reported dead body. Inside a home, they found Roosevelt Ward Jr., 51, dead from obvious signs of trauma.

Kiaree Steele was charged with second degree murder after police say they linked blood on his clothes to the crime scene.

Detectives say the investigation points to a murder suspect

During the investigation, detectives learned that officers had contacted a man the night before the murder at a nearby business.

Officers noticed a “significant amount of blood” on Steele’s clothing, indicating he had recently been involved in some type of altercation, according to police.

Steele was initially arrested on an outstanding felony warrant stemming from a 2022 child abuse case. He refused to speak with officers about his condition or the blood on his clothing, police said.

Officers collected his clothing as evidence but couldn’t identify the source of the blood.

Lab analysts later matched the blood on Steele’s shirt to evidence from the Ward homicide, police said.

Steele was interviewed again and admitted to his involvement, police said. He was charged with second degree murder and is being kept on $1 million bond.

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