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Court Records: Suspect Says Rumors Drove Hatchet Attack on Sleeping Avondale Man

Investigators say the victim shows no evidence of wrongdoing despite the suspect’s claimed vigilante motive.

Overview

  • Police say a man was found in an Avondale bedroom early Sunday with catastrophic head injuries, including a lost eye and a skull fracture, and was placed on life support pending organ donation.
  • Officers detained 41-year-old Oscar Funes a few blocks away, noting gloves that appeared to be covered in blood and an unzipped backpack with a bloody hatchet visible.
  • According to court documents, Funes said an unknown person directed him to the house, described himself as a retired MS-13 member, and admitted hitting someone with a hatchet until the person stopped moving.
  • Court records indicate no evidence that the victim committed the crimes Funes alleged; a witness reported seeing an intruder enter before hearing a struggle, and a neighbor reported his warming vehicle stolen.
  • Booking records list charges of second-degree murder, burglary and unlawful means of transportation, and show Funes being held on a $1 million bond.