Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Argument over hot sauce ends with a brutal stabbing and teen’s arrest

The deadly argument allegedly began when the victim ‘wanted to make a sandwich and asked where the hot sauce was,’ according to the affidavit

Myriam Page
Wednesday 25 September 2024 16:19
George Vigil (seen in mugshot) is accused of fatally stabbing another man in a Colorado home
George Vigil (seen in mugshot) is accused of fatally stabbing another man in a Colorado home (Denver Police Department)

Your support helps us to tell the story

As your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.

Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn't have the resources to challenge those in power.

Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November election

Head shot of Andrew Feinberg

Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

A Colorado teenager has been accused of stabbing another man to death during an argument over a bottle of hot sauce.

George Vigil, 19, was arrested on suspicion of murder on September 22 after police responded to a 911 call reporting that a man had been stabbed inside a home on North Federal Boulevard in central Denver, Denver Police said.

A witness told police the victim, who has not been unidentified but had some sort of a relationship with Vigil, had arrived at the home to “visit as he usually does more than one time per week”, supposedly to “check on” something or someone there,” according to the affidavit.

During the visit, the affidavit claims the victim “wanted to make a sandwich and asked where the hot sauce was.”

When Vigil stated the bottle was in his bedroom upstairs, the two men allegedly “erupted” into an argument, with the other people present having to physically separate them.

The victim, the affidavit states, “verbally challenged” Vigil, enticing him “to fight by making statements to the effect of ‘Let’s take this outside,’ and began approaching him again.”

It was at this point that the witness claimed she saw Vigil “swing an arm,” noting that the 19-year-old “often carried a switchblade type knife in his front pants pocket.”

The victim then “fell to the ground and began bleeding profusely,” prompting the emergency call.

In the 911 call, a woman told a dispatcher “hello, I have someone stabbed,” according to an affidavit seen by Law&Crime.

Voices were heard yelling in the background of the call, the affidavit states.

The caller then told the dispatcher she was with “two gentlemen and a female, and one gentleman with a knife,” describing the injury as having impacted “the gentleman on the left side of his ribs.”

“I just need somebody here right away,” she continued.

“We need an ambulance here right away. Right now. Right now. He’s bleeding to death, please,” she pleaded.

When asked who had stabbed the man, the woman allegedly told the dispatcher: “George Vigil.”

Upon arrival, officers found the victim suffering from “apparent sharp force injuries,” police said in a press release.

The victim was taken to the Denver Health Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

Investigators identified Vigil as the suspect in the fatal stabbing, with the affidavit claiming his “hands and clothing were stained with apparent fresh blood.”

“He had no visible open or bleeding injuries to his person,” the document continued. “As officers took him into custody and were walking him to the vehicle, he asked for an attorney.”

Vigil is now charged with second-degree murder. He appeared in court on Monday and was ordered to be detained without bond.

The Independent has contacted Denver Police for further details.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in