A Texas man is charged with murder in his 73-year-old mother’s death after authorities said the woman’s body was discovered inside a duffel bag during a welfare check.
Dyna Guadalupe Sorto De Malik was found dead at a home in Houston on September 1 after her daughter alerted authorities that she couldn’t get in contact with her mother, KTRK-TV reported.
Malik’s body had been wrapped in a sheet and a rug, both of which were stained with blood, inside the duffel bag at the residence, according to court records viewed by the TV station.
Following the discovery, deputies detained Malik’s son, Arman Alexander Malik, 34, at the home, Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said in a Monday, September 7, news release.
Arman appeared “under the influence of an unknown substance” when he was apprehended and was evaluated at a hospital as a result, the sheriff said.
An investigation revealed Arman allegedly hid his mother’s body at her home, according to Gonzalez.
As a result, he was initially charged with tampering with physical evidence/concealing a human corpse, the sheriff said. He was arrested on Monday and detained at the Harris County Jail.
“As the investigation continued, homicide detectives filed an additional charge of murder against Malik,” Gonzalez said.
According to court records obtained by KTRK-TV, Arman “unlawfully intended” to seriously injure Dyna by beating her to death.
Detectives who encountered Arman at the crime scene said in their filings that he appeared to have dried blood under his nails and scratches on his hands, per the TV station.
A man from Texas has been accused of fatally stabbing his mother before he fled the scene in her tan 2009 Toyota Corolla with his 4-year-old nephew. Raymond Isaac Carmona was arrested and charged with murder, aggravated kidnapping and theft of property, according to online records viewed by Us Weekly. Officers with the Mansfield Police […]
Arman is also accused of moving home surveillance cameras around, according to an affidavit obtained by KHOU.
The affidavit reportedly states that Dyna’s body had significantly decomposed by the time she was located.
Dyna’s neighbor, Shaun Ward, told the TV station that Arman had moved into her home ahead of her death.
“I was real shocked,” Ward said while speaking with KHOU. “Like, I seen him maybe once or twice outside, you know, blowing the leaves and stuff, but I could never imagine her own son would do it, like, that’s scary, real scary.”
Ward added that by the time deputies visited Dyna’s home the evening of September 1, he hadn’t seen her “in a few days.”
During a Tuesday, September 8, hearing, Arman had his bond set at $500,000, according to the TV station.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether Arman had retained legal representation.
