PHOENIX — A 24-year-old man recently arrested for allegedly assaulting a woman in east Phoenix has been linked to the unsolved homicide of a 64-year-old woman, police officials said.

Luis Tapia was taken into custody after he allegedly confessed to violently attacking a woman on Aug. 14 near 44th and Oak streets. The victim had to be hospitalized in intensive care for severe injuries.

Phoenix police said Tapia's DNA has been matched to evidence from the 2024 death of Margie New, who was found unresponsive in an alley west of 46th Street last summer. She died in the hospital a few days later.

Police recovered biological evidence of a male DNA profile while investigating New's death. That profile allegedly matched a DNA profile from evidence in the 2025 assault case.

The sexual assaul

See Full Page