PHOENIX — Editor's Note: The above video is from an earlier broadcast.
One of the brothers accused of hiding the dead body of a 17-year-old girl in a Valley home has pleaded guilty in court to some of the criminal charges, records show.
Daniel Torrealba Blas, 22, admitted last week to concealing Destiny Munoz's body before she was discovered by Phoenix police on Oct. 5, 2021.
Officers reported finding Munoz's body concealed inside a container, wrapped in plastic and tape, court records show. The teenager's remains appeared to have been decomposing for several days.
The suspect's brother, Edwin Chavez Blas, was allegedly helping Daniel to dispose of Munoz's body before police found her remains. Court records show Edwin allegedly purchased a chainsaw and investigators believe the brothers were planning to dismember the girl's body.
Despite admitting to concealing Munoz's body, Blas has not been charged by prosecutors for killing her.
Munoz's manner of death is currently listed as "undetermined" on the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's website.
Blas claimed that Munoz allegedly shot herself during an argument about their relationship, records show. Officers noted signs in the home that somebody had cleaned up blood and moved around furniture before the teenager was found.
Investigators submitted a second-degree murder charge against the defendant, but the Maricopa County Attorney's Office declined to prosecute on that offense due to an unlikelihood of getting a conviction.
The agency says it may change its mind if new information is revealed.
"Murder has no statute of limitations, so if there is new evidence submitted to our office by law enforcement, charges could be brought forward in the future," MCAO wrote 12News in a statement.
Court records show Blas pleaded guilty to concealing a dead body, a Class 5 felony, and misconduct involving weapons, a Class 4 felony. Blas has previously been convicted in federal court of transporting undocumented migrants.
The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 8. Edwin's criminal case remains pending in court.
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