Accused killer Mayra Velasquez declares innocence in 2012 Arlington stabbing case

Mayra Velasquez, the woman accused of fatally stabbing her friend more than 100 times in 2012, made her first public statement Friday, declaring she is innocent and urging investigators to look elsewhere for the killer."I am Mayra Velasquez. I did not do this," Velasquez said as she sat beside her attorneys. Velasquez, who is free on a $450,000 bond, is charged with capital murder in the death of 32‑year‑old Irasema Chavez inside Chavez's Arlington apartment 14 years ago.Velasquez said she could never harm her friend. "I will never do this to anyone. She was my friend," Velasquez said. "All those people who know me, they know that I could never do something like this to anyone."Her attorneys did not allow reporters to ask questions and required members of the media to sign an agreement acknowledging that restriction.Velasquez was arrested earlier this month after Arlington Police used investigative genetic genealogy to link her to a drop of blood found inside the apartment.

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