A life term for murder was handed down in a Scottsdale court, as Jose Antonio Beltran faced sentencing for his role in a murder-for-hire, according to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office. Beltran, convicted of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and burglary, was given natural life in prison plus two additional 20-year sentences – a development reported today by ABC15.
The fatal shooting occurred in December 2020 at a residence near 90th Street and Sweetwater Avenue. Authorities say not only did a 53-year-old woman lose her life that day; Beltran, alongside Adrian Espinoza, another man arrested in Las Vegas in connection with the case, attempted to take more lives at the scene. The motive behind the hire, however, remains shrouded in mystery, as ABC15 stated.
In a poignant courtroom moment, one of the surviving victims implored Beltran, "I am begging you...If you would tell who sent you, you would change our lives, and you will reverse the damage that you did to us," according to the Maricopa County Attorney's Office.
Meanwhile, the tragic cycle of freedom and incarceration ended for William Macumber, who once retraced his steps to prison life after a taste of the outside world. Swept up by accusations of a sex crime involving children, only a year following his release after decades wrongfully imprisoned for a double murder he insisted he didn't commit, Macumber found himself once more behind bars. This former inmate of the Arizona prison system, and subject of books and documentaries, died at the age of 81 from emphysema.
Laurie Kilpatrick, the public information officer for the Colorado Department of Corrections, confirmed that Macumber passed away on October 10, at the Denver Reception and Diagnostic Center. His absence from routine system checks prompted an inquiry by The Republic. Macumber, who had once been a family man with a steady job before his life turned upside down with a wrongful conviction, spent more than half his years confined by prison walls, according to a detailed AZ Central report.
