Arrest made in Glendale cold case murder investigation | Crime Files
GLENDALE, Ariz. - Glendale Police say they have made an arrest in connection with a murder that happened at an apartment complex in 2016, and court documents provided many details on what led up to the suspect's arrest, including details about the suspect's past.
Here are the details.
Who's the suspect?
Court paperwork identified the suspect as Joseph Adam Keller, who was arrested on April 25, 2024.
It was also noted that Keller had two convictions that led to him being sentenced to prison. Records from the state's Department of Corrections, Rehabilitation & Reentry show he was released in April 2023.
What happened?
Investigators say the murder happened on April 22, 2016 at an apartment complex near 57th Avenue and Camelback. The victim's wife and daughter were headed home when a maintenance employee at the complex told her of a loud bang coming from the apartment.
"Maintenance heard the loud bang and saw four Hispanic males running a white Dodge Avenger in the east parking lot," investigators wrote. "One of the males was seen carrying a laptop and some sort of charging type cord. Detectives later learned that a laptop and an XBox were stolen during the homicide."
The victim, Jose Sanchez, was found with gunshot wounds, and was declared dead at the scene. The apartment was also ransacked, with a toilet tank lid having been lifted and cabinet doors opened, which detectives say is a sign that there was a search for money or drugs.
Four days after the murder, a mother and father who recognized the vehicle as that of their daughter's reached out to police. Detectives then learned that at the time of the murder, the daughter was dating Keller, and Keller commonly used the car in question, including on the day of the murder. The car was later found at a storage lot, and the daughter later told police that Keller did not tell her anything about the murder, nor did she have any independent knowledge of it.
"We also learned that [the daughter] used to live in the same complex (and the same building) where the homicide occurred until approximately September of 2015," read a portion of the court documents. "It should be noted that [Keller] never lived at this complex and had never visited his girlfriend while she lived there."
Keller's fingerprints, according to detectives, were found at the crime scene, as well as on the Dodge vehicle. He was interviewed on three occasions, in 2016, 2021, and 2023. During the first two interviews, Keller refused to talk about the case, but he did comply with a court-ordered DNA swab.
Detectives say after his arrest, Keller invoked his right to remain silent.
What's next?
Investigators say the motive in the murder case is still unknown.
"The investigation into the other possible suspects is ongoing," read a portion of the court paperwork.
