Suspect arrested in fatal weekend stabbing in downtown Gilbert

PHOENIX — An arrest has been made in a fatal stabbing in downtown Gilbert over the weekend, authorities said Wednesday.

Dennis Fernando Pacheco, 36, was taken into custody Tuesday and booked into jail on one count of second-degree murder, the Gilbert Police Department said.

Officers responded to a parking lot near Gilbert and Elliot roads early Sunday and found 22-year-old Isaiah Panez with multiple stab wounds.

Panez died after being taken to a hospital.

Investigators worked to identify Pacheco as the suspect and arrested him in Tempe.

Police say Pacheco and Panez were allegedly in an altercation when the stabbing occurred.

The crime scene is the large parking lot at Ash and Vaughn avenues in Gilbert’s Heritage District, the town’s lively dining and entertainment district.

The stabbing was one of two murders in the East Valley suburb over the weekend.

A juvenile teen was arrested Monday evening in connection with the shooting death of 18-year-old Jacob Carlson during a house party near Baseline and Gilbert roads early Sunday.

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