Man buys knife, tick repellent, Febreze before stabbing boyfriend 93 times, feds say

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A California man had been dating his boyfriend for about a year when authorities say he began “losing control of his temper” and crafting a plan to kill his significant other in Texas.

Alexander Yoichi Duberek, of San Diego, told others he was planning to move out of California to live near his boyfriend — but really he was flying out of the state to stab the man to death, according to court records.

Now the 25-year-old man has pleaded guilty after fatally stabbing his boyfriend 93 times on Oct. 31, 2020, according to a July 26 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.

This guilty plea comes after Duberek turned himself in to San Diego authorities in March 2021.

Duberek’s defense attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News on July 27.

“This defendant plotted the murder of an innocent young man, methodically purchasing equipment, locating a stretch of desolate road, and stabbing the victim nearly eight dozen times,” U.S. Attorney Chad Meacham said in a statement.

The plan

Upon arriving in Lubbock on Halloween 2020, authorities say Duberek took an Uber to a Sam’s Club parking lot, where he bought a 2009 Toyota Camry for $3,000.

He then drove himself to Walmart and bought $563.48 in products used to kill his 30-year-old boyfriend and escape from the scene, according to plea documents filed in court.

“Among the items Duberek purchased were a seat cover for a vehicle, tick (repellent) spray, a gas can, a knife, a hatchet, a collapsible shovel, a head lamp, a flashlight, a backpack, bath towels, [Febreze], water boots, shoes, a jacket, a first aid kit, a change of clothing, and personal hygiene items,” prosecutors said.

He also stopped at a Love’s travel center to buy a micro-USB charger, two energy drinks and a sunshade for the car, according to court records.

Duberek then drove to his boyfriend’s home in Hale Center, officials say, where he turned his phone off at 10:17 p.m. Because his phone was off, authorities were unable to get its location information for about one hour.

The escape

At about 11:17 p.m. that night, officials say his Google account shows he was on Farm to Market Road 400 — about 4 miles from where his boyfriend’s body was found in a ditch near Plainview the next day.

Duberek fled from Plainview and drove about 580 miles southeast to Houston, where the Camry was eventually found abandoned, according to court records. Investigators say they found blood in the back seat and on the trunk latch that matched the boyfriend’s DNA. They also discovered the shovel bought at Walmart.

Duberek stayed on the run for about five months, according to the news release.

The arrest

When he did turn himself in, officials say they asked him about the name tattooed on his ring finger.

“He answered that it was the name of the person that he killed,” authorities said.

Duberek was extradited to Plainview, where authorities report him saying, “ ... when I was on the run, I had, uh, I took some time to work on my thoughts, you know, try to get my mental straight which is why I turned myself in.”

He faces up to life in prison after pleading guilty to “interstate domestic violence resulting in death.”

If you are experiencing domestic violence and need someone to talk to, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline for support at 1-800-799-7233 or text “START” to 88788.

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