Arizona man accused in death of amputee tied to wheelchair

Hector Corrales, 41, of South Phoenix, was arrested June 27 after authorities said he and a friend tied the man to a wheelchair using plastic bags, court documents said.

The man, 33-year-old Aaron Goodyke, was found dead along the canal near South Mountain, documents said.

The identity of Corrales' friend was not released.

A second suspect, 45-year-old Troy Amir Lentor Rene Wright, was arrested July 2 in connection with the homicide investigation and booked into jail, according to an updated Phoenix Police news release. Police did not reveal how Wright was connected to the case.

Court documents describe a complex backstory leading up to the incident, involving Goodyke staying at Corrales' mother's house, with his health declining over the course of a week, and a trip to the hospital that went sideways.

Corrales' mother told investigators that she had convinced Goodyke to seek medical treatment, documents said. He changed his mind as two men, including her son, were loading him into the car to go to the doctor — she watched as they tied him, struggling, to his wheelchair, court documents said.

The situation darkened after the scuffle between Goodyke and the two men continued. Corrales' mother said her son's friend wheeled Goodyke to the canal and returned to the house without him, according to documents.

Goodyke was "fine," he told Corrales' mother, documents said.

Bystanders spotted Goodyke along the canal later that evening and called 911, documents said. Officers found him slouched in the wheelchair, with his pants down. There were footprints on the ground near where he sat, and evidence of a recent disturbance, according to court documents.

Corrales was arrested two days later at his mother's home near South Mountain and booked into a Maricopa County jail. Records say he also goes by "travieso," an affectionate nickname meaning "troublemaker" in Spanish.

Arrest records provide context

Arrest records paint a complex picture of the circumstances leading up to Goodyke's death.

The story began about a week before the incident, when Goodyke was being evicted from a hotel in Mesa. His mother had arranged for him to stay with Corrales' mother, Gloria Barajas, in south Phoenix, according to a probable cause statement justifying Corrales' arrest.

Barajas let him stay in one of her bedrooms. He was diabetic and brought his insulin to her house, court documents said. Goodyke's left leg had been amputated below the knee in April 26, according to his mother.

Barajas told investigators she had difficulty caring for Goodyke. He was refusing to eat or drink, was fighting with her, and "had been a handful," she texted his mother, according to documents. He refused to go to the hospital.

Eventually, Barajas persuaded him to seek medical treatment, she told investigators.

Her son, Corrales, and one of their mutual friends came over and tried to load him into the car.

That's when Goodyke changed his mind about going to the hospital. He resisted and became combative, the documents said.

Video from Barajas' phone showed her son and his friend tying Goodyke's hands with plastic bags, in an attempt to restrain him, according to documents.

It turned into a prolonged scuffle. At one point, the two men tilted the wheelchair backward. Goodyke fell back and appeared to hit the back of his head against the house, according to the documents.

Barajas told police her son's friend started wheeling Goodyke towards the canal. Barajas said she got in her car and followed him. She saw him emerge from the canal and asked where Goodyke was, documents said. He assured her there was no problem.

He came back to her house and spoke with Corrales.

Meanwhile, she removed a large trash bag containing Goodyke's belongings and put it in her yard, she told investigators, according to documents.

He was dead within hours.

Bystanders placed emergency call

Two people saw Goodyke while they walked by on the canal.

He was alive at 7:30 p.m. that night, they told investigators, and was mumbling and moving around his arms and leg. The two witnesses were "concerned," they said, but kept walking. They told their daughter about it when they got home, and she called the cops, documents said.

Police arrived shortly after 8:30 p.m. They found Goodyke dead.

Corrales was arrested two days later at his mother's house on an outstanding felony warrant for violating his parole.

He faces charges of kidnapping and murder, according to documents.