A somber close to a long and emotional trial, Alex Madrid has been found guilty on multiple charges in the heinous 2013 murder of 14-year-old Claudia Ann Lucero in Mesa. According to reports from FOX 10 Phoenix, the verdict came after considerations of evidence that included DNA tying Madrid to the crime. The charges are heavy: first-degree murder, kidnapping, and sexual contact with a minor.
Documented details state that Madrid had just gone through a breakup with Lucero's mother before he committed the crime. On one tragic morning, while the rest of Lucero's family stepped out, Madrid is said to have seized the opportunity to quickly, and gruesomely, end the teen's life. Her body was discovered in a dumpster two miles from her home, a scenario that paints a stark representation of disregard for life. The sentencing phase for Madrid is scheduled to begin on Oct. 9, with a jury deciding his fate—death or life behind bars—as per FOX 10 Phoenix.
Further details from AZ Family elucidate that it took the jury a mere 45 minutes to find Madrid guilty on all counts, including first-degree murder, kidnapping, sexual conduct with a minor, second-degree burglary, abandonment or concealment of a body, and unlawful flight from law enforcement vehicle. The evidence collected not only from Lucero's apartment but also where her body was discovered linked Madrid to the crime conclusively.
The defense argued that the police had prematurely decided on Madrid's guilt, failing to thoroughly search for other potential suspects. However, the prosecution's compelling case, bolstered with DNA evidence, painted a grim picture of Madrid's involvement. Jurors will reconvene to hear from an expert witness before a sentence is decided. "The jury will be back in court next week to hear from an expert witness before sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled," AZ Family reports.