Left inset: Kyle Collins. Right inset: Cierra Tellez. Background: The Ariz. apartment complex where Kyle Collins and Cierra Tellez were allegedly playing Monopoly with neighbors before cops say he murdered her (AZ Family/YouTube).
An Arizona man played Monopoly with his girlfriend and neighbors in their apartment complex’s courtyard, then returned home with his lover and slaughtered her with a “metallic cane shaft,” police say.
Kyle Collins, 37, delivered brutal blows “all over the victim’s body” that left her covered with bruises and gashes, including one to her forehead “where the skull appeared to be visible,” according to an arrest affidavit obtained by Law&Crime.
The woman, Cierra Tellez, 36, was a mother of two who lived in Mesa. She was found naked and dead on July 21 inside the apartment she shared with Collins, between the side of a bed frame and bedroom wall, cops say.
Collins called 911 himself and allegedly claimed that he came home from work and found Tellez dead inside the residence.
“The witnesses [neighbors] indicated the night prior they were playing board games with Kyle and [Tellez] in the courtyard in the complex but nothing suspicious was observed,” the affidavit alleges. “An additional neighbor informed officers they observed them all playing board games the night prior as well. None of the witnesses observed any visible injuries or bruises on [Tellez] that they could recall during the game playing.”
One of the neighbors spoke to AZ Family and said, “We were outside playing Monopoly. Everything was fine, nothing was off.”
Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.
Video surveillance shows Tellez and Collins entering their apartment after the Monopoly game concluded. According to police, Tellez “does not exit again at all.”
Collins, meanwhile, was caught on video exiting the apartment “multiple times” on July 21, including an instance where he is “observed wearing only camouflaged shorts and no shirt, using a rag or towel of some sort to scrub and wipe his hands, arms and chest before re-entering the apartment,” the affidavit says.
Collins called police around 11 a.m. that Tuesday and officers arrived to find blood all over the residence. “A metallic cane shaft appeared to be a weapon used, was broken with blood and hair located on it,” the affidavit says.
Officers indicated at the time that they noticed how Collins appeared to “shift” his demeanor “suspiciously” as police investigated the scene. Collins stated that he left for work at approximately 9 a.m. and Tellez “was perfectly fine,” according to the affidavit.
“Kyle told officers he drove [Tellez’s] 2015 Grey Kia Optima to and from work back to the apartment,” the affidavit explains. “Kyle told officers he then left work at approximately 10:30 a.m. and was back at the apartment at approximately 11:00 a.m.”
Collins allegedly told officers he arrived at the apartment finding the front door unlocked. Detectives, however, were able to obtain video surveillance from a neighboring apartment and it showed that he did not leave to go to work, but rather was in and out of the apartment several times during the times he stated he was working, per the affidavit.
“Kyle’s employer stated that his mother notified the job that Kyle would not be into work and was taking a sick day,” police allege. “It was also reported that Kyle’s mother spoke to his employer on the phone and it was relayed that Kyle just found out that his girlfriend cheated on him and need some time to ‘clear his head.'”
Collins allegedly told investigators he found out that morning that Tellez “cheated on him last week with an unknown male,” the affidavit says. He went over to his neighbors’ apartment around 7 a.m. and told them he was “mad” at Tellez “for her cheating on him,” according to police.
Collins also allegedly claimed that Tellez had informed him that she had been “using fentanyl without his knowledge for the duration of their relationship,” which spanned over a year.
“Kyle was very upset by this revelation as he stated that he was been sober and out of rehab for over two years,” the affidavit says. “Kyle questioned [Tellez] on how she was paying for the drugs because he has access to see their joint bank account. [Tellez] stated that she was performing sex acts for the drugs.”
Collins allegedly told police that Tellez informed him about the prostitution and drug use that morning and he “stormed off and talked to (the neighbor) about it.” When asked for details of the fight with Tellez, Collins said that her confession “p—ed me off” and they got into a “fight,” per the affidavit.
“The fight … happened this morning,” Collins alleged, according to police. Detectives asked Collins if there was a physical altercation and Collins allegedly said, “We had some words and I went out the door.” When asked immediately after “so you never put hands on her?” the affidavit states that Collins replied, “That’s a lie, that is a lie.”
Collins went on to say, “So if I’m real with you that helps? I don’t know how to go about it. I already know I’m f—ed. Like I really am, I f—ed up, it’s my fault,” according to the affidavit.
When Collins was asked to provide details about how he “f—ed up,” he stated that he wanted a lawyer. “I should stop having you guys waste your time and abilities, it’s my fault,” he allegedly said.
Collins was arrested and booked on charges of first-degree murder and kidnapping. During the booking process, he was allegedly overheard talking to jail staff.
“When asked ‘do you have any plans on hurting yourself or others today’ he stated ‘yeah, both,’ along with an utterance about ‘I already hurt someone so nah, I’m just playin,'” the affidavit recounts.
During his first court appearance last week, prosecutors reportedly said Collins had a history of domestic violence.
“This was a very brutal and horrific murder,” a prosecutor said, according to AZ Family. “We believe that Mr. Collins is a very dangerous individual.”
The post ‘P—ed me off’: Man played Monopoly with his neighbors and girlfriend, then calmly went back home and slaughtered her with metal cane, claimed he found out she ‘cheated,’ cops say first appeared on Law & Crime.
