Background: News footage of David Jimenez's house in Phoenix, Ariz. (KPHO). Inset: Xzavion Johnson (Maricopa County Sheriff's Office).
An Arizona teenager allegedly got away with squatting at his neighbor's house for two weeks after killing the older man and leaving his body in the backyard.
Xzavion Johnson, 18, was arrested by the Phoenix Police Department on Monday and charged with murder and burglary in connection with the death of 57-year-old David Jimenez. According to a press release from the police, officers responded to Jimenez's home in Phoenix on Monday after receiving calls for a welfare check. Police said neighbors told them they had not seen Jimenez, but they believed someone was living in his house.
According to court documents obtained by local CBS affiliate KPHO, Johnson's mother also told authorities that she had not seen her son since late December 2025. But when she went to check on Jimenez at his home, she allegedly found a package on his front porch that was addressed to her son.
She also told police there was a bad smell coming from Jimenez's backyard.
When police arrived at the home, they made their way into the backyard and found Jimenez's body "in advanced stages of decomposition." Police said Johnson was inside the house, and they attempted to make contact with him. After he barricaded himself for an "extended" time, he left the house and police arrested him.
During Johnson's interview with police, he reportedly told them that he went to Jimenez's home on Dec. 29, 2025, with the intent to rob him. He allegedly brought a gun with him that he had stolen 10 days earlier. Johnson apparently told police that he saw that the side gate to Jimenez's home was open and entered the property. Jimenez spotted him, and he allegedly opened fire on the older man, killing him.
Police said Johnson covered Jimenez's body with blankets. He then allegedly went inside the house and made himself at home. According to court documents, Johnson said he used Jimenez's credit cards and drove his vehicle. He also allegedly used his neighbor's address to order packages to the home.
Johnson's mother told police that she was unaware of any connection between her son and Jimenez, a recently retired VA nurse whose family lived in New Mexico.
Johnson was booked into the Maricopa County Jail on "multiple" charges including murder and burglary. He is being held on $1 million cash bond.