Roommate arrested in man’s stabbing death

By Rich Coleman

Published Monday, Dec. 13, 2010 | 2:35 p.m.

Updated Monday, Dec. 13, 2010 | 5:11 p.m.

The roommate of a man who was found dead Sunday at an apartment complex has been arrested in connection with his death.

Jose Lara-Caamal, 53, was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on Sunday and is being held without bail on a charge of murder with a deadly weapon in the death of Jose Alfredo Chan-Dzul, 36.

According to an arrest report, Lara-Caamal told police that Chan-Dzul entered their apartment in the 3600 block of Swenson Street, near Twain Avenue, on the evening of Dec. 4 and began pushing Lara-Caamal. He then grabbed a knife and stabbed Chan-Dzul in the stomach, he told police.

Police learned that Chan-Dzul had left the apartment after being stabbed and called friends telling them that Lara-Caamal had beat him up and stabbed him. Eventually, Chan-Dzul returned to the apartment and refused to go to the hospital, Lara-Caamal told police. He was eventually found unresponsive on the floor of his and Lara-Caamal’s bedroom on Sunday.

A couple also lives at the apartment, according to the arrest report, but were not involved in the incident.

Caamal’s court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday morning.

Sun reporter Jackie Valley contributed to this report.