A Farmington man with several prior arrests was arrested and charged for the death of a man whose body was found in a shed on Saturday.
Brian Peshlakai, 52, was charged with second-degree murder and third-degree felony tampering with evidence in the death of Cecil Jim, 64, of Farmington.
Jim was found Monday in a shed in the 600 block of West Animas Street. He suffered from blunt force trauma to the head and strangulation, according to an affidavit for arrest warrant.
Peshlakai’s friends notified Farmington Police Department they found Jim’s body in the shed that Peshlakai had been using for shelter, the affidavit said.
A receipt for Speedway dated May 1 was found inside the shed. Video footage obtained from the business showed Peshlakai making a purchase there on that date, which allegedly tied him to the location, according to the affidavit.
Police located Peshlakai on Tuesday at the Broadway Bridge on Scott Avenue and brought him in for questioning, the affidavit said.
Peshlakai reportedly told police that he had a “confrontation” with Jim on Saturday, during which Jim “punched” him and caused “an injury to his lip,” according to the affidavit.
The affidavit said Peshlakai allegedly told police that he held Jim “out of anger for 20 minutes” while “squeezing tightly” until the man stopped breathing.
Peshlakai reportedly said he “felt remorse” and attempted CPR. Then, he moved the body into the collapsed shed to keep it warm. He also allegedly removed Jim’s belongings and put them in a different shed, according to the affidavit.
Police obtained a warrant for Peshlakai’s arrest and booked him into the San Juan County Detention Center.
The San Juan County District Attorney’s Office filed a pretrial detention motion Wednesday to keep Peshlakai in custody until his trial.
In the motion, Chief Deputy District Attorney Brian Decker wrote that Peshlakai acted out of anger in the commission of homicide and “this type of anger will continue to put the community at risk if defendant is not held in custody pending trial.”
Peshlakai appeared May 13 in Farmington Magistrate Court and his case was transferred to the 11th Judicial District Court for a motions hearing that has not yet been set.
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