Hours after the 18-year-old moved into the group’s home, he stabbed his 81-year-old roommate more than 100 times, killing him, and killing him, Florida authorities said.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said on Monday that Moses Ojeda was just released from a two-week mental health hospital under the Baker Act, and his sixth time was taken into custody under the law in 2025.
The Baker Act allows for unwilling hospitalization and mental health treatment of individuals deemed a threat to themselves and others in Florida.
According to the sheriff, Ojeda’s mom learned about the home of an independent lifestyle group in Bahto and told the management company to hide the knife from her son before arriving on Saturday.
The 18-year-old moved that night, but five hours later, around 11:45pm, he found a knife, deputies said. He entered the bedroom of 81-year-old Patrick Benway and began stabbing him, according to the sheriff’s office.
Benway woke up and tried to dodge the attack, but Ojeda asked investigators why he stabbed him, according to Judd.
Ojeda has been accused of stabbing Benway 113 times.
According to the sheriff, Ojeda asked why he had stabbed the man multiple times, but the knife said the knife wasn’t sharp.
“Ojeda told the detective that the victim was fine and described him as a good person,” the deputy wrote in a news release.
Ojeda told deputies he washed the knife and returned it to the butcher block, stripped off the bloody items and closed the Benway door to make him appear asleep, and according to the sheriff, he fell asleep.
Other housemates knew that Ben Way doesn’t normally eat breakfast, but they noticed something was off at lunch the day after he didn’t leave the room, Judd said.
According to the sheriff, they discovered he was dead about 12 hours after the attack, and Ojeda was identified as the person in charge.
Ojeda was charged with first-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence.
If you or someone you know needs help, you can contact the nami helpline. The National Alliance on Mental Illness offers free nationwide peer support services that provide information, resource referrals and support to people with mental health conditions, families and caregivers, mental health providers and the public. You can call 1-800-950-6264 or 62640 on the text helpline every Monday through Friday from 10am to 10pm.
If you need immediate help in a crisis, call 1-800-273-8255 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
