Man Who Stabbed Victim 113 Times In 'Violent Death' Charged: Polk Sheriff

BARTOW, FL — An 18-year-old man was arrested after being accused of fatally stabbing one of his roommates 113 times Sunday at an independent group home, Polk County authorities said Monday.

The Polk County Sheriff's Office said authorities arrested Moses Ojeda in connection with the stabbing death of Patrick Benway, 81, at Blue Bird Avenue in Bartow.

Ojeda and Benway were living with two other people at the group home; authorities said Ojeda moved into the home the day prior after being released from a hospital.

The deadly stabbing happened around 11:45 p.m., but because Benway did not normally eat breakfast, his body was not found until 12 hours after his death, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said at a news conference.

Bartow officers were the first to arrive on scene around 1 p.m. on a call of a person who was injured and needed assistance, Judd said.

Ojeda's mother, who told the staff at the group home that they had to hide the knives, was the person to drop off her son at the home, Judd said. The staff members did as Ojeda's mother suggested, the sheriff added.

Ultimately, Ojeda found the knives and stabbed Benway within five hours of arriving at the group home, Judd said. He noted Benway "died a violent death."

Ojeda entered Benway's bedroom, where he was asleep in bed, and stabbed him 113 times, Judd said.

Authorities asked Ojeda why he stabbed Benway so many times, and Judd said Ojeda responded, "The knife wasn't very sharp."

Of the several stab wounds, Judd said about four of five were deep.

“Why would you want to do this to me,” Benway asked Ojeda before dying of his injuries, per authorities.

"I just do," Ojeda told Benway, per Judd.

Ojeda told authorities he stabbed Benway because of the voices in his head, Judd said.

After killing Benway and closing his room door, authorities said Ojeda acknowledged cleaning the knife used in the stabbing before putting it back in the kitchen.

He then "removed his blood-stained clothing" and put it in a laundry basket, authorities said.

Ojeda told detectives that he had no tension toward Benway, who he described as a "good person," authorities said.

They said Ojeda told detectives he did not regret the fatal stabbing and that he wanted to kill Benway "because he was 'already dying,'" authorities said.

Ojeda was arrested on charges of first-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence, authorities said.

Judd said before the stabbing, group home staff intended to call his mother to inform her that they could not care for him any longer. He added Ojeda had been violent toward his mother.

'This was a senseless and tragic act of violence," Judd said in a news release. "Our detectives, forensic investigators and Bartow Police Department officers worked diligently to take Ojeda into custody and gather evidence to hold him accountable."

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