Couple accused of killing registered sex offender in pre-planned stabbing in Arizona desert

An Arizona couple was arrested after allegedly stabbing a registered sex offender to death in a desert area of the state, according to authorities.

Jacob Middlebrook, 35, and his girlfriend, Layne McIntosh, 36, were initially taken into custody for second-degree homicide in the death of 29-year-old Arron Christopher Warren, Bullhead City Police said on social media.

Police began investigating after a motorist found a dead man on the side of the road in the 3100 block of Silver Creek Road on Saturday. The circumstances surrounding the man’s death appeared suspicious, so detectives were called to the scene to conduct a homicide investigation.

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Jacob Middlebrook and his girlfriend, Layne McIntosh, are facing homicide charges. (Bullhead City Police)

Detectives later identified the man as Warren, a Bullhead City "transient." Detectives also identified a possible suspect and discovered that the victim’s vehicle was missing.

Hours later, Las Vegas Metro Police assisted Bullhead City investigators and located the victim’s vehicle parked at a casino in Laughlin, Nevada.

Middlebrook and McIntosh were taken into custody by Las Vegas Metro Police and booked into the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas, where they will be held until they can be extradited to Mohave County, Arizona.

On Monday, the pair's charges were upgraded to first-degree homicide.

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Investigators determined that the two were also "local transients" who had known the victim for the past few months.

"Detectives discovered that the couple had expressed distaste for registered sex offenders and had planned the homicide in advance," Bullhead City police said.

"The couple reportedly pre-determined the desert location where they intended to leave Warren’s body. They also reportedly measured furniture/beds that could be large enough to cover the victim’s body along the side of the road. Warren was a registered Level 2 sex offender," the post added.

Police in Bullhead City, Arizona, say a couple allegedly stabbed a registered sex offender to death and planned the homicide in advance. (Bullhead City Police)

Bullhead City Police Chief Paul George said the department updates the community when certain registered sex offenders move in or change addresses but that he "will not tolerate anyone using this information as a reason to threaten, intimidate, harass or harm another person."

"When a Level 2 or Level 3 sex offender moves into our area or, more commonly, changes addresses, the Bullhead City Police Department shares that information as a public service to help keep residents informed," he said in a statement. "While required notifications are mailed to residents living within an approximate 1,000 feet radius of an offender’s registered address, we go a step further by sharing these notifications on social media to reach a broader audience. Our goal is to provide information, not create fear or alarm. We believe an informed community is a safer community."

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"Our Bureau of Criminal Investigations conducts monthly address verification checks to help ensure registered sex offenders are complying with registration requirements. Our responsibility is to protect our community, keep residents informed and to enforce the law. We take all three of these seriously," George continued.