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Man killed roommate, stored body in closet over eviction, police say

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A man has been arrested on suspicion of killing his roommate and stuffing her body in a closet after trying to evict her, police said.

Mario Villalobos, 58, was arrested Monday on suspicion of murder with his bail set at $1 million, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

Villalobos and the 48-year-old woman, whose identity wasn’t released, were sharing an apartment in the 8700 block of Sepulveda Boulevard, police said. But he tried to evict her, causing numerous arguments between the roommates, police said.

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Then on Monday, police received a call from a woman who said she believed someone was trying to dispose of a body at the apartment building.

Police went to the building on Sepulveda and found the woman’s body stuffed in a closet. The woman appeared to have been dead for a few days.

Villalobos, police said, is cooperating with police.

“What is interesting about this incident is that it started with a phone call to the front desk, and detectives had to put together the pieces of the puzzle to just find the body,” Lt. Kathleen Burns of LAPD’s Mission Station said in a statement.

Detectives believe the arguments and eviction process ultimately led to her death.

For breaking news in California, follow @VeronicaRochaLA.

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