Minnesota authorities arrested a 24-year-old man accused of stabbing to death Gabriel Arrazola Pérez, a well-known St. Paul barbershop owner whose body was found on train tracks in late May.

The body was located on May 25 after a man walking his English bulldog noticed something unusual near the railroad tracks. According to the court file, the dog began to pull its owner towards the place where the body was located. The witness immediately called 911 and assured police that the body was not there the day before.

When officers arrived at the scene they found personal documents, including a prescription for glasses and a driver's license, which allowed them to identify the victim. Arrazola Pérez's vehicle, a Subaru Crosstrek, was found approximately 800 meters from the scene.

The investigation

Relatives informed investigators that they last saw Arrazola Pérez during a meeting at a local brewery on the afternoon of May 24. After leaving the establishment, they stopped having contact with him.

Phone records showed that after leaving the meeting, the victim made three calls to the same person and received a return call at 6:34 p.m.

Detectives later reviewed recordings from security cameras located near the train tracks where the body was found. The images showed Arrazola Pérez walking with another man around 7:03 p.m. Hours later, between 8:55 p.m. m. and 11:12 p.m. m., the body was already visible at the scene.

The police determined that the phone number with which the victim contacted belonged to Ramos Castro and that the location of that device coincided with the scene before, during and after the crime.

Investigators also recovered Arrazola Pérez's cell phone with the help of a canine unit. The forensic analysis revealed that the fingerprints found on the device did not correspond to the victim. In addition, it was discovered that Ramos Castro had sent him a location via WhatsApp close to the site where the body was later found.

The confession

The investigation led agents to Ramos Castro's apartment, where he was arrested and interrogated with the assistance of an interpreter.

According to the criminal complaint, the suspect initially offered contradictory versions about his relationship with Arrazola Pérez. First he claimed that he barely knew him and had only occasionally worked for him. He later acknowledged receiving calls from the victim to meet to eat or smoke marijuana.

After being confronted with the evidence obtained during the investigation, Ramos Castro admitted that he was with Arrazola Pérez on the train tracks the night of the crime.

The defendant stated that the victim allegedly made unwanted sexual advances toward him and attempted to touch him inappropriately. According to his version, he reacted violently and stabbed him with a knife.

Police indicated that Ramos Castro claimed not to remember how many times he attacked the victim because he was “overwhelmed with anger.”

Multiple wounds

The forensic report describes a particularly violent assault. Arrazola Pérez had defensive wounds and multiple stab wounds in the back, neck, chest and abdomen.

Authorities noted that one of the injuries caused the victim's large intestine to be eviscerated and that the stab wounds caused fractures to several vertebrae in his neck and back.

Ramos Castro remains held in the Ramsey County Jail with bail set at $2.5 million. His first court appearance was scheduled for this week.

The case remains under investigation.