An Arizona woman was allegedly murdered by her boyfriend in a crazed chainsaw attack because he thought she was ‘possessed’, police say.
Paxton Wallace, 31, was killed in her home in Phoenix on November 7, allegedly at the hands of her longtime boyfriend Jeffrey Rael, 47.
Police said that Rael confessed to the crime when he called 911 following the murder at around 3.40am, telling a dispatcher he ‘had to kill her because she was possessed.’
Court documents described a gruesome scene when officers arrived, including a blood-soaked chainsaw found in the kitchen.
Wallace was ‘unrecognizable’, police said, and Rael was allegedly armed with a hammer and a cross during the chaotic episode.
Investigators said they found Wallace suffered ‘cutting-type’ injuries across her body, which were inflicted with a ‘sharp-bladed instrument’ believed to be the chainsaw.
Wallace’s family said they have been left devastated by the murder, and said they knew Rael had a criminal past but never believed he could be accused of her killing.
‘We’ve spent holidays with him. We’ve shared our home with him for multiple years,’ Wallace’s sister Adila told AZ Family.
‘We had many cherished moments with him before this, and now they’re just all stained.’
Paxton Wallace, 31, was allegedly murdered by her boyfriend in a crazed chainsaw attack because he thought she was ‘possessed’
Wallace’s longtime boyfriend Jeffrey Rael, 47, allegedly confessed to the murder over 911 before cops found a blood-spattered chainsaw in their kitchen
Wallace’s aunt Tiffany said her family are struggling to come to terms with the seemingly random slaying.
‘She wasn’t old. She wasn’t sick. Somebody chose to end her life. Somebody chose to take her from us,’ she said.
Her family said they are now looking back at Wallace’s relationship with Rael and believe she was stuck in a domestic violence situation that she was hiding from her loved ones.
‘No one wants to say that someone who said they love them is hurting them,’ Adila said.
‘If there’s anyone out there that is feeling that way, you’re not a burden… Reach out, get help. Don’t be what Paxton’s life ended in.’
Wallace’s aunt added that she now ‘prays that she knew she was loved’ in her final moments, and said the killing ‘just doesn’t feel real.’
Wallace’s family described her as ‘incredibly bright, selfless, and beautiful’
Police seen at the scene, where officers said Wallace was left unrecognizable by the vicious attack
Wallace’s family said they knew Rael had a criminal past but never believed he could be accused of her killing, and said he was welcomed at holidays and into their home. His criminal past is not clear
In a GoFundMe set up by the family to pay for funeral costs, Wallace was described as a ‘big sister, a firstborn daughter, a first niece, and a first granddaughter.’
‘She was incredibly bright, selfless, and beautiful. Paxton was resilient and had so many dreams left unfinished. There is no doubt she fought for her life,’ the fundraiser read.
The family added that it is ‘unthinkable’ that Rael could have allegedly killed her, saying that he had ‘promised us he would keep her safe and protect her.’
‘In the end, after years of domestic violence, he took her life,’ they wrote.
‘It is unthinkable that someone we let into our home and family could take such a precious person from us.
‘He has been arrested, and we will stand as a family to see that he pays for this crime.’
Rael was initially taken to hospital after the slaying before being booked and charged with first-degree murder.
He remains in custody on a $1 million bond.
