Christopher Ebanks is accused of murder and kidnapping after a May 7 killing tied to a rent dispute.

PHOENIX, Ariz. — An Arizona man is accused of killing his friend with a hatchet-like blade and forcing the victim’s girlfriend to help hide the dismembered body inside a closet after a fight over rent money, police said.

Christopher Ebanks, 32, faces one count of first-degree murder and one count of kidnapping in the May 7 killing. Police said the case began inside a Phoenix apartment, moved through a violent cleanup and ended when the woman told her father, who contacted authorities. Ebanks was being held on a $1 million bond, and police said he refused to speak with investigators after his arrest.

The woman told police that her boyfriend called Ebanks to the apartment because the couple had been arguing about rent payments and the boyfriend wanted help getting money, according to a probable cause affidavit. The argument continued after Ebanks arrived. Police said the fight became physical in front of him, and Ebanks then challenged the boyfriend to “fight an actual man.” The woman said she saw Ebanks pull out a triangular ax-like blade and stab her boyfriend several times. Investigators said the killing took place in the couple’s apartment, where the woman later described being ordered to help erase signs of the attack.

The affidavit says Ebanks told the woman they “needed to clean this up” after the stabbing. Police said the victim was first placed in a bathtub before being wrapped in carpeting and an air mattress. Investigators said a white extension cord and other items were used to bind the wrapped body before it was moved into a closet and propped up. The body appeared to be missing the head and hands, the affidavit says. Police said cleaning products, knives, towels, carpeting, the air mattress and the extension cord were among the items used during the concealment. The victim’s name was not released in the reports reviewed for the case.

Police said the woman’s account described a cover-up that continued after the body was hidden. Ebanks allegedly put the victim’s head and hands into a suitcase and left the apartment with the woman. Investigators said he forced her into his car and took her to his own apartment. There, according to the affidavit, she was forced to shower at knife or gunpoint as part of an effort to destroy evidence. The affidavit does not say how long she was held, what weapon was recovered, or whether police believe anyone else was present. The woman was treated as a witness in the account described by police, not as a charged suspect.

The case broke open after the woman told her father what had happened, police said. Her father notified authorities, leading investigators to search Ebanks’ apartment. Police said they found a suitcase containing remains believed to be the victim’s missing head and hands. The discovery gave investigators a second scene beyond the apartment where the killing allegedly happened. It also supported the woman’s report that Ebanks left the couple’s residence with the suitcase after the body was wrapped and hidden. Officials have not released a full inventory of evidence seized from either apartment, and the affidavit does not state whether forensic testing was complete.

The criminal allegations center on two connected acts: the killing itself and the alleged force used against the girlfriend afterward. The murder charge stems from the stabbing death. The kidnapping charge stems from the accusation that Ebanks forced the woman to leave the apartment, ride with him and shower under threat. Prosecutors had not publicly laid out a full timeline of court dates in the reports available for review, but the bond amount showed the case had moved into an early criminal stage. Ebanks’ refusal to speak with police left investigators relying on the woman’s statement, the physical evidence and the search results from his apartment.

Police said the violence followed what began as a domestic dispute over rent. The boyfriend allegedly called Ebanks for help with money, not for a confrontation. The argument between the couple was still active when Ebanks arrived, according to the affidavit. The woman said Ebanks reacted after seeing the boyfriend get physical with her, and the challenge to fight followed. Investigators did not say whether Ebanks and the victim had argued before that day or whether either man lived in the apartment. The records also do not say whether the girlfriend had visible injuries from the earlier dispute or from the alleged coercion after the killing.

The scene described in the affidavit moved from ordinary household objects to evidence in a homicide investigation. A bathtub, carpet, an air mattress, towels, cleaning products and an extension cord became part of the police account. The closet became the place where the wrapped body was concealed. A suitcase allegedly carried the missing remains away from the apartment. The details helped investigators build the sequence the woman described: a stabbing, a forced cleanup, a hidden body, a trip to another apartment and a report to a family member. Each step became part of the probable cause statement used to support the arrest.

Authorities have not said whether additional charges could be filed as forensic testing continues. The victim’s cause and manner of death were described through the police account of repeated stabbing, but officials had not released a detailed medical examiner’s report in the reports reviewed. Police also had not said whether the alleged blade was found. Ebanks remained jailed on the murder and kidnapping counts, and the case was expected to proceed through Maricopa County court filings tied to the May 7 killing.

Author note: Last updated June 4, 2026.