Man arrested for fatal stabbing near Northeast Heights storage facility

A man remained in custody Monday after allegedly fatally stabbing another man near a Northeast Heights storage facility after an argument.

Chaz Estrada, 38, is charged with an open count of murder and tampering with evidence in the death of 42-year-old Travis Zabroski. It is unclear if Estrada has an attorney.

Police responded around 8 p.m. Saturday after a person called and told them they had seen a body, later identified as Zabroski, in the road near McCleod and Hardware, near San Mateo, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court.

An autopsy showed Zabroski had been stabbed in the chest, along with a stab wound to the top of his head that impacted his skull.

Officers spoke with a woman who said she worked at the A-1 Self Storage facility at 5115 San Mateo Blvd. The woman told police she had seen Zabroski at the storage facility with a woman who was renting a unit, according to a news release from Gilbert Gallegos, spokesperson for the Albuquerque Police Department.

The storage facility employee told police she heard loud yelling in the unit and heard that Zabroski and the woman had gotten into a “very aggressive argument,” the complaint states.

“At some point, another man, later identified as Estrada, arrived at the storage facility,” Gallegos said. “Detectives learned that Estrada knew the woman and Zabroski.”

Estrada and Zabroski got into a “heated verbal argument” before Zabroski grabbed his belongings and walked away from the storage facility, heading west on McCleod, according to the complaint.

Video footage from a nearby business showed Estrada following Zabroski, the complaint states. A few minutes later, Estrada is seen walking back toward the A-1 Self Storage.

“A blood trail was discovered, leading to the facility and the unit where the initial argument occurred,” Gallegos stated. “Estrada was seen at the storage unit, arguing with the woman, following the murder.”

Police got an arrest warrant for Estrada, who was staying at a halfway house after being released on federal charges including armed robbery, unlawful taking of a motor vehicle and two charges of conspiracy to commit armed robbery, according to court records.