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Police: Tampa woman brutally murdered elderly neighbor with machete

Posted at 7:41 AM, Sep 07, 2018
and last updated 2018-09-07 09:38:34-04

TAMPA, Fla. — A 21-year-old woman has been arrested after she allegedly murdered her 74-year-old neighbor with a machete, according to the Tampa Police Department.

Police said on Sunday, September 2 they received a call, shortly after 10 p.m., from a concerned neighbor requesting a welfare check on Eddie Quezada, 74, at his home.

Once inside the home, police found Quezada dead with multiple lacerations to his upper body.

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During their investigation, they were led to Quezada's neighbor, Sarah Martinez who in the past had borrowed money from him and had asked him for help in getting a job.

Initially, Martinez provided police with inconsistent explanations of what happened but ultimately admitted to striking Quezada with a machete.

Martinez was arrested on Thursday. She is charged with first-degree murder, armed burglary and attempted robbery with a deadly weapon. The motive remains unclear.