Raad Almansoori, a 26-year-old man, was apprehended by police in a car park on February 18 in connection with the alleged murder of 38-year-old escort worker Denisse Oleas-Arancibia. The arrest took place in Scottsdale, Arizona, where Almansoori was found driving a vehicle he had carjacked a day earlier.
Almansoori was wanted for the murder of Oleas-Arancibia, which allegedly occurred inside the Soho 54 Hotel on February 7. Police reports suggest that Almansoori, who had flown into New York from Florida at the end of January, had booked a hotel date with Oleas-Arancibia and that a dispute over the duration of the paid time led to her death.
Following the murder, CCTV footage captured Almansoori leaving the hotel wearing the victim’s light-colored leggings, as his trousers were reportedly soaked in blood from the killing. He then fled the scene and caught a flight to Arizona on February 12, where he became a person of interest in the case.
Career Criminal (Credits: The Mirror US)
During the week following the murder, Almansoori allegedly went on a crime spree. He is accused of carjacking a woman in Phoenix, stabbing her, and then fleeing the scene.
The next day, he allegedly cornered a female McDonald’s worker in Surprise, Arizona, brandishing a gun and stabbing her in the bathroom when she screamed.
Almansoori is currently being held without bail at the Maricopa County Jail on charges related to both cases. Upon his arrest, he admitted to the McDonald’s attack and the knife incident in Phoenix, telling police to “Google the SoHo 54 hotel.” Police were able to track his movements from New York to Arizona through credit card usage.
The NYPD Chief of Detectives stated that Oleas-Arancibia’s death was caused by blunt force trauma to the head, with a broken iron recovered at the scene and bits of plastic found embedded in her skull. Almansoori’s arrest came just nine days after the victim was discovered in New York City.
Arizona police have announced that they will not extradite Almansoori to Manhattan, opting to keep him in their custody. They also believe that Almansoori was potentially looking for another victim at the time of his arrest. Almansoori has a bond set at £150,000 and has previous arrests in Florida and Texas for kidnapping and sexual assault.
