Salem man on meth stabs friend at temple

Buddhist temple to do methamphetamine Friday night, investigators said.

Jose Murillo, 23, faces attempted murder and assault charges.

Murillo and the victim, Cynthia Veazey, struck up a friendship on Craigslist within the last six months, according to Lt. Chris Baldridge with the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.

Murillo called Veazey on Friday night and the pair made plans to go to Wat Buddha Oregon, a temple near Turner, to do methamphetamine, detectives said.

Inside the temple, Murillo said he started hearing voices and told Veazey to help him find the people in the temple or he would stab her.

“Veazey attempted to calm Murillo and assure him there was no one inside of the temple with them. A short time later Murillo attacked Veazey, stabbing her over ten times all over her body,” according to a news release from the sheriff’s office.

Murillo pulled the injured Veazey outside the temple, where she escaped and ran into some blackberry bushes to hide.

Murillo walked to the interstate and was spotted by Oregon State Police troopers. He told the troopers that he believed someone was chasing him. They took Murillo to a hospital to treat a cut on his hand.

When Buddhist monks returned to the temple at 5:30 a.m. the following morning, they called the sheriff’s office to report a break-in. At around 7 a.m., the monks found Veazey in the bushes and called the sheriff’s office again.

Veazey was taken to a Portland hospital, where she was in serious condition Sunday.

Detectives arrested Murillo before he was released from the hospital. He is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday afternoon.