An 18-year-old man in Phoenix, Arizona, has been accused of killing his neighbor and then living in his home for weeks following the crime.
Police officers reported to a home in the Laveen neighborhood of Phoenix on Monday, January 12, after the homeowner had not been heard from for many days.
“Details on the call indicated that neighbors had not seen a man at his home in several days. When officers arrived, they contacted a neighbor who stated that they believed someone was in the home due to traffic going in and out of the residence,” police said in a statement obtained by Us Weekly.
Around the same time, teenager Xzavion Johnson’s mother reported that she had not heard from him since December 29, 2025, according to Arizona Family.
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Additionally, she reported that she had not seen her neighbor since that same day. The mother went on to note that she smelled a foul odor that was seemingly coming from the neighbor’s house.
Upon the officers’ arrival at the home, police found a man – who has since been identified as 57-year-old David Jimenez – dead in his backyard.
Authorities quickly started to deem Johnson as a suspect in Jimenez’s death. Believing the teenager was still in the home, officers set up a barricade around the property before they arrested Johnson at the scene.
While speaking to detectives, Johnson reportedly said that he saw Jimenez’s side gate was open on December 29, 2025, and he went inside with a handgun with the intention to steal money.
Johnson then crossed paths with Jimenez, whom he admitted to shooting and killing. The teen told detectives that he intended to kill Jimenez and shot him multiple times. Following the shooting, investigators said that Johnson covered the victim’s body with blankets and placed him in the backyard.
He then told police that he had been living in the victim’s house since the killing, while he also admitted to using Jimenez’s credit cards and driving his vehicle.
Police confirmed that Johnson and Jimenez knew each other before the homicide and they lived one door down from each other.
As the investigation continued, authorities learned that Johnson reportedly stole the handgun 10 days before he killed Jimenez.
Police confirmed that Johnson has since been arrested on several charges, including murder and burglary. He currently remains behind bars and his bond has been set at $1 billion.
Detectives also noted that they do not believe there are any additional suspects in connection to the crime. The investigation into the case is currently ongoing.
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“It’s incredibly tragic,” neighbor Thomas Brodersen told Arizona Family of the tragedy, while fellow neighbor Molly Hervieux added that the situation was “completely unbelievable.”
Brodersen also said he didn’t think Johnson was capable of such a cruel act. “I would have never guessed that, that kid that I’ve known for five years, I’ve watched him grow up, went over there and shot somebody,” he said.
“It’s terrible because we all liked David and the kid was nice too. We never had an issue with him ever,” Brodersen continued. “Apparently you can’t trust anybody.”
