Arizona man accused of murdering girlfriend after Monopoly game

Authorities say weapon used was a metallic cane and there were brutal blows 'all over the victim’s body'

Published Jul 28, 2026  •  3 minute read

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Monopoly, then murder?

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That allegedly appears to have been the order of events for Kyle Collins, 37, of Mesa, Ariz., who faces charges of first-degree murder and kidnapping in the beating death of his girlfriend and mom of two, Cierra Tellez, 36.

According to an arrest affidavit obtained by lawandcrime.com, it’s alleged that Collins played the board game with Tellez and neighbors in their apartment complex’s courtyard the night before and then killed her the next day with a “metallic cane shaft,” say police.

There were brutal blows “all over the victim’s body” that left her covered with bruises and gashes, including one to her forehead “where the skull appeared to be visible,” said the affidavit.

Tellez was discovered naked and dead on July 21 inside the apartment she shared with Collins, cops said, after the accused called 911 himself and allegedly claimed that he came home from work and found her.

“The witnesses (neighbors) indicated the night prior they were playing board games with Kyle and (Tellez]) in the courtyard in the complex but nothing suspicious was observed,” the affidavit alleges.

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“An additional neighbor informed officers they observed them all playing board games the night prior as well. None of the witnesses observed any visible injuries or bruises on (Tellez) that they could recall during the game playing.”

One of the neighbors spoke to AZ Family and said, “We were outside playing Monopoly. Everything was fine, nothing was off.”

Collins called police around 11 a.m. that Tuesday and officers arrived to find blood all over the residence.

Murder weapon was thought to be a metallic cane

“A metallic cane shaft appeared to be a weapon used, was broken with blood and hair located on it,” the affidavit said.

Collins told police he left for work at approximately 9 a.m. and Tellez “was perfectly fine,” according to the affidavit, and then left work at 10:30 a.m. and returned home by 11 a.m. and allegedly told officers he arrived to their apartment front door unlocked.

Detectives, however, got video surveillance from a neighboring apartment that allegedly showed the accused did not go to work but was in and out of the apartment several times when he said he was working, said the affidavit.

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Police alleged that Kyle’s mom spoke to his employer, saying her son needed a sick day after just finding out his girlfriend had cheated on him and need some time to ‘clear his head.’”

Collins allegedly told investigators that he found out that morning that Tellez “cheated on him last week with an unknown male,” the affidavit said, and he went to a neighbors’ apartment around 7 a.m. and told them he was “mad” at Tellez “for her cheating on him,” police said.

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Collins also allegedly claimed Tellez told him she had been “using fentanyl without his knowledge for the duration of their relationship,” which spanned over a year.

Collins, who had been sober and out of rehab for over two years, was upset and the couple fought.

“Kyle questioned (Tellez) on how she was paying for the drugs because he has access to see their joint bank account. (Tellez) stated that she was performing sex acts for the drugs.”

“The fight … happened this morning,” Collins alleged, according to police.

When asked if there was a physical altercation, Collins allegedly said: “We had some words and I went out the door.”

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