Man accused of stabbing father to death, injuring mother at Litchfield Park home

LITCHFIELD PARK, AZ (3TV/CBS 5) -- A man is accused of stabbing his father to death and injuring his mother and another woman at a Litchfield Park home over the weekend.

Shortly after midnight on Sunday, a woman called 911 and said her son, 26-year-old Xavier Joseph Salazar, had broken into her home. Salazar’s mother said her 1-year-old grandson and the baby’s mother were inside the house, but she didn’t know where they were because she was hiding in a bathroom, investigators said. She told police Salazar had attacked her, and she was bleeding, but she didn’t know what kind of weapon he had. They had an order of protection to keep Salazar away from the house and family, court documents say.

Minutes later, deputies arrived and found that Salazar had broken through a window on the side of the house. Court paperwork says that through the window, they saw Salazar pinning a woman to the floor and a young child running around inside. According to court documents, deputies forced their way in, pulled Salazar off the woman, and took away the hammer in his hand. During his arrest, he reportedly told deputies that he “felt good” about what he’d done.

Deputies began searching the home and found Salazar’s mother covered in blood on the stairs, saying her husband, Salazar’s father, was injured upstairs and needed help, court paperwork states. He died at the scene, and Salazar’s mother was taken to a nearby hospital with deep cuts on her face and neck. The child was uninjured, and his mother had several injuries from Salazar strangling her, police said. During the initial investigation, deputies found a kitchen knife on the floor.

According to court documents, the baby’s mother told MCSO detectives in an interview that she was asleep when Salazar tried to strangle her. Court papers say that Salazar’s mother also told detectives she was sleeping when she was suddenly attacked. When she felt blood coming from her face, she said she hid in a closet to call 911. In the past, investigators said Salazar had also dropped a 1-year-old onto the floor during a fight.

Court papers say Salazar told deputies he would not speak about the incident without an attorney. He has been booked on multiple felonies, including burglary, murder, aggravated assault and more. His bond was set at $1 million.

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