A road rage incident that escalated to murder has culminated in a life sentence for the shooter, Steven Orona. Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced the sentencing following Orona's conviction for first-degree murder and drive-by shooting. The deadly encounter occurred on 7th Avenue close to the I-17 in September 2020, when Orona fired a shot through an open window of Larry Milligan's car, fatally striking him in the head.
Subsequent investigative efforts led police to Orona's SUV over a month after the crime. Found on a Buckeye property associated with his girlfriend's family, the vehicle had been modified, with the rims painted black in an apparent attempt to disguise its appearance. According to a statement obtained by Maricopa County Attorney's Office, Orona's girlfriend, Yessenia Garcia Rocha, who was present during the incident, testified that she and Orona had agreed to hide the SUV.
During the sentencing, Larry Milligan's widow addressed the court, sharing the profound impact her husband's death has had on their family. "The absence of his presence is felt in every corner of our home. The burden of grief weighs heavily on my heart," she disclosed, according to Maricopa County Attorney's Office. Her statement reflects the loss of a husband and a father, whose warmth and laughter once filled their lives, and the challenges she now faces raising their three children alone.
Steven Orona's actions were scrutinized by a jury before being convicted of the crimes for which Maricopa's County Attorney remarked on the devastating repercussions: "An exchange that lasted 48 seconds destroyed a family," Rachel Mitchell said. The gravity of such violence in a spur of the moment is reflected in Orona's life sentence, illustrating a zero-tolerance stance against road rage induced violence. Yessenia Garcia Rocha, previously pleaded guilty to tampering with physical evidence, a misdemeanor, receiving a one-year probation sentence for her involvement.
