MESA, AZ (CBS5) -
Court officials say a young man, who allegedly placed a Craigslist ad to buy a gun to kill his grandfather, has made his plea in court.
Devin Almejo, 20, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday morning on charges of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder, according to Maricopa County court spokesman Vincent Funari.
On Nov. 6, an undercover detective replied to the ad that was posted and prevented a potential murder. He met with Almejo, of Mesa, and Almejo told the undercover officer that he is not good with guns and that he needed one that was simple and easy to use, according to a probable cause statement.
He agreed to have the undercover cop murder his grandfather. He offered an iPad, iPod and one year of free haircuts as a payment for the murder.
The undercover officer gave Almejo the chances to change his mind but each time Almejo said he was good with the murder, the court document said.
Almejo was taken into custody and told police he wanted to kill his grandfather because the man had abused him physically, mentally and emotionally, the court document stated.
There were also bizarre posts on Almejo's social media page in the hours leading up to his arrest.
On the same day the ad was posted, Almejo allegedly posted on Facebook, "I am going to kill my grandfather... I have all the chemicals to pass him out.. then ill shred his body.. I plan on doing it this week."
An hour later he posted the following comments:
"I jumped the gun.. so I have him tied up and I hope the neighbors don't hear him screaming.. I don't know what to kill him with."
"I keep punching him but he won't stop screaming.. f*** this blood. I think I will cut his throat but I don't want blood everywhere ...F***!!!!"
His last post stated, "I just killed my grandfather," with a photo of what appears to be a bloody hand.
CBS 5 News spoke with Almejo's grandfather who said he was shocked to learn of his grandson's plot to kill him. He said police called him about Almejo's arrest but he said he did not know anything about the Facebook posts referencing him.
The young man's grandfather went on to say his grandson was having problems with his mom in Superior, AZ, and struggling in school, so he came to live with him in Mesa about a month ago. Almejo attends Brillare Hairdressing Academy in Scottsdale.
The grandfather said his grandson seemed to be improving in school, but does suffer from a mental illness.
Almejo is expected to be in court again on Jan. 8.
Stay with cbs5az.com and CBS 5 News for updates on this developing story.
Copyright 2013 CBS 5 (KPHO Broadcasting Corporation). All rights reserved.
Devin Almejo (Source: Maricopa County Sheriff's Office)
Devin Almejo's Facebook page
Devin Almejo's Facebook page
Devin Almejo's Facebook page
