21-year-old charged in cousin's fatal stabbing, Fort Worth police say

A 21-year-old man has been charged with the murder of his cousin after the Fort Worth Police Department said a woman died after a stabbing overnight in the eastern part of the city.

Officers said they responded to the 2100 block of Handley Drive around 2:45 a.m. Sunday, but were then redirected to the 6000 block of Oakland Hills Drive, about two miles away. When they arrived there, officers said they found a woman with apparent stab wounds. While firefighters arrived and provided aid, the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

Friend reports man's alleged stabbing confession to police

According to the affidavit, a friend of 21-year-old Jaykel Addler Vanegas-Martinez called police to say that Vanegas-Martinez had confessed to stabbing his cousin. The friend, who police are not identifying, said he gave Vanegas-Martinez a ride to an area off E Lancaster Ave., and as Vanegas-Martinez got out of the car, he said, in Spanish, he had "stabbed his cousin with a knife, and made a cutting motion across his throat."

The friend told police he initially thought Vanegas-Martinez was joking, but decided to call the police when he got home. 

Police find stabbed woman in suspect's apartment

Police were directed to Vanegas-Martinez' apartment on Farnswood Drive, near Oakland Hills Drive. When there was no answer, the affidavit said, police forced entry to search for anyone injured.

Inside, police found a naked woman lying on the bedroom floor in the back of the apartment. Police said she had multiple stab wounds. Officers also noted a large knife on the kitchen counter, covered in what appeared to be blood and men's clothing on the bathroom floor that appeared to have blood on it.

Man admits to stabbing cousin in Fort Worth

Officers learned that Vanegas-Martinez was in the area of 4700 E Lancaster Ave., and had called another friend for a ride. Fort Worth police found him outside a shopping center and took him into custody without incident. He had blood on his shirt and injuries on his arms, which appeared recent, the affidavit says.

Vanegas-Martinez told police that he got home around 3:30 a.m. on Saturday and smoked "crack cocaine on the balcony" before lying down to go to sleep. He told police that when he woke up, he got a large knife and went to his cousin's room, where she was sleeping in her bed, according to the affidavit. 

He said she was lying face down when he stabbed her an unknown number of times as she "begged him to stop," the affidavit states. Vanegas-Martinez said he changed clothes, took a shower and called a friend to pick him up, leaving the knife in the apartment.

Vanegas-Martinez has been charged with murder. The victim has not yet been identified, Fort Worth police said.