Inset: Adrian Mendoza (Dallas Police Department). Background: The area near where Mendoza allegedly stabbed his father to death in east Dallas, Texas (Google Maps).
A Texas man is behind bars for allegedly killing his father while the older man slept, law enforcement officials in the Lone Star State say.
Adrian Mendoza, 29, stands accused of murder for the death of Samuel Mendoza, whose age has not yet been released, according to the Dallas Police Department.
The incident occurred on Wednesday morning at an apartment on Peavy Road in far east Dallas, police said. The younger Mendoza is said to have called 911 and confessed to stabbing his father just after 7 a.m. on the day in question.
After arriving at the apartment, authorities met with the defendant, arrested him, and took him to Dallas Police Headquarters for an interview, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by CBS News.
At the scene of the crime, the stabbing victim was located by police and pronounced dead by Dallas Fire-Rescue, according to a press release issued by the police department on Wednesday.
Officers found the older Mendoza on an air mattress, suffering from multiple stab wounds to both his head and neck, according to the affidavit. Investigators also found the suspected murder weapon, police said. A large sheathed combat-style knife was on a table and "appeared to have blood on it," according to the charging document.
After being read his Miranda rights, the defendant agreed to speak with detectives, police said. During his custodial interview, Adrian Mendoza admitted to stabbing Samuel Mendoza at least four times while he was asleep, according to the affidavit.
When asked why he committed the fatal stabbing, Adrian Mendoza allegedly said he believed his father was "killing people and hurting kids," according to the charging document. Police, however, say the defendant did not provide any evidence to support this claim.
Adrian Mendoza also told police he was going to use whatever method he could in order to "stop his existence," the affidavit says.
When pressed about the allegations against his father and asked why he did not call police to report those beliefs, the defendant allegedly said he "was following what he learned in Duolingo."
Adrian Mendoza is being detained in the Dallas County Jail on $250,000 bond, according to records reviewed by Law&Crime.