A heartbroken Phoenix family marked a grim anniversary this week as the hunt for the killer of Michael Amarillas continues with scant progress. Amarillas, 45, was slain in his apartment one year ago, and still no arrests have been made in the case. Amarillas' family gathered in sorrow at his gravesite, struggling with the void his untimely death had left behind. "It’s awful," said Amarillas' sister, Denise Amarillas, in an interview obtained by FOX10 Phoenix, "This year has been awful."
The Phoenix Police were called to the fateful scene near 35th Avenue and Indian School Road on March 16, 2023, where they discovered Amarillas with multiple gunshot wounds. "Whoever shot him, shot him three times," Amarillas' mother, Teresa Moreno, told FOX10 Phoenix. "Was one time not enough? Was the pain that you saw in his eyes not enough to fill your anger, or whatever was going on?" The violent encounter left Amarillas fatally injured he later succumbed to his wounds at the hospital.
As the investigation persists, Phoenix Police officials have confirmed that the case is active and described a suspect—and a plea to the public for assistance. The suspect is described as a man standing 5’6" to 5’10" tall, and weighing 200 to 240 pounds. He was reportedly wearing a white construction helmet at the time of the murder, as per the FOX10 Phoenix report. The individual was also believed to be driving a 2013-2023 silver Jeep Gladiator with large tires and dark rims.
Surveillance footage has captured images of a man matching that description, observed entering and exiting the building around the time of the killing. The footage released by the police shows a Native or Hispanic man, wearing a construction-style hard hat and driving away in a newer-style Jeep Gladiator. "Somebody needs to be accountable. Somebody needs to be responsible," Moreno underscored, emphasizing the significance of Amarillas to his family during a poignant appeal featured in the FOX10 Phoenix coverage.
Amarillas' family reminisces, engulfed in the pain of unspeakable loss, pointing towards memories that should have been but are now never to be. "Our memories are now missed memories. Memories he missed," Moreno reflected. "Hearing his daughter Karisma speak for the first time, seeing MacKayla walk. Everything is missed memories." The Phoenix Police Department is requesting anyone with information to come forward and contact Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS to help bring Amarillas' killer to justice.
