Chilling Confession: Teen Allegedly Dismembered Mother, Stored Body in Freezer

Feb. 7, 2011— -- A Los Angeles mom who was dismembered and her body parts found in her own freezer was afraid of the teenage son who has been charged with murder, according to neighbors.

Moises Meraz-Espinoza, 18, allegedly stored his mother's chopped up body parts in the family freezer for a week, before walking into a Huntington Park police station and turning himself in on Friday.

Epifanio Hernandez, the apartment's landlord, told ABC News.com that he spoke with the teen hours before he went to police to confess the chilling murder.

For days Meraz-Espinoza, shooed away nosey neighbors, including the landlord who wanted to enter the apartment to install a new sink.

"I was putting the new sinks in all of the kitchens for the apartments," landlord Epifanio Hernanadez told ABCNews.com. "But he kept saying not now, come back next week. I think because he didn't want me to see all the blood."

After police investigated and removed the refrigerator and freezer as part of the investigation, Hernandez entered the apartment.

"There was blood still in the shower and on the floor. A lot of blood," he said.

Hernandez said the teen and his mother "had problems."

"She was afraid of him," the landlord said. "The neighbors said they would fight. They had problems because he would go out at night. People were worried something might happen."

"The neighbors say they had not seen her for a week," Hernandez said.

Authorities have yet to identify the body, said Lt. Cheryl McWillie, of the L.A. County Corner, and would not comment until they had done so.

'Body Appears Dismembered'

But Lt. Brian Elia, of the Coroner's Department told Britain's Daily Mail, "The body does appear to have been dismembered to some extent."

A spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff said Meraz-Espinoza had been arrested for "murder in connection with the death of an individual discovered in the freezer of a Maywood apartment Friday."

Meraz-Espinoza has yet to be arraigned and is being held without bail, police said.

He does not have a lawyer at this time.