He Killed An Elderly Stranger In The Middle Of A Busy Store. Then, He Told The Police He Had Accomplished His Goal.

A Michigan man killed an elderly man and told the police he had accomplished his goal. Now, he will spend the rest of his life in prison.

Recently, Lenawee County Circuit Court Judge Anna Marie Anzalone sentenced Alarik Guajardo, 31, to life in prison with the possibility of parole for the stabbing death of Glen Meyers, 85. Guajardo was initially charged with open murder, carrying a concealed weapon and carrying a concealed weapon with unlawful intent.

However, he pleaded guilty to second-degree murder after being found mentally ill, reported WTOL.

On Sep. 16, 2020, officers responded to a report of a man with a knife at a Meijer store in Adrian, Michigan. When police arrived, they found Meyers with multiple stab wounds to his head and neck in the automotive section of the store. He was declared dead on the scene.

The defendant was held at gunpoint until the arrival of the police by a customer, Laurie Lewis, who witnessed the incident and had a concealed pistol license.

According to prosecutors, the fatal incident took place around 12:30 p.m. when the then 29-year-old Alarik walked into the store and accosted the victim, who had been grocery shopping for his wife, Ruth Meyers, 63. Next, the defendant stabbed Meyers 15 times before Lewis drew her weapon to perform a citizen’s arrest.

Later, officers found the murder weapon in one of the store shelves where Alarik threw the weapon.

The defendant told investigators he had intended to kill an elderly person that day. Hence, he believed killing Meyers accomplished his goals.

As a result, Alarik was ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation to determine his criminal responsibility and competency to stand trial. Seven years before to the attack, the defendant was diagnosed with bipolar and later on with schizophrenia. Alarik’s defense lawyer, Lenawee County Chief Public Defender John Glaser, said his client had stopped taking his medications.

“He was hospitalized just shortly before this incident occurred. When I started representing him, he was almost zombie like. All he wanted to do was go to prison, plead guilty. He didn’t care anything about life or what was happening. Since he’s been in jail and taking his medication, he is fairly normal,” said Glaser, according to Daily Telegraph.

During the victim impact statement, Meyer’s grandson, Craig Frederick, expressed his anger toward Alarik as he tried to restrain himself from beating the defendant. At that point, Anzalone instructed Frederick to address her, not the defendant.

Alarik will be eligible for parole in 15 years.