A grim chapter in Phoenix's battle against motorcycle gang violence has closed, as a Hells Angels member receives a life sentence for murder. Based on reports from FOX 10 Phoenix, Keith McCollough was convicted for the 2021 killing of Richard Coss in what prosecutors described as a gang-retaliation attack.
During the brutal home invasion on 23rd Avenue and Deer Valley Road, McCollough, alongside two armed individuals, forced entry into the victim's apartment. In a swift act of violence, Coss was shot dead—a crime scene that would later reveal DNA evidence incriminating McCollough. The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office emphasised that a signal had been sent to organised crime through this sentencing, stating, "The Hells Angels want to rule through fear." They continued, asserting, “In Maricopa County, we do not bow to intimidation or outlaw motorcycle gangs."
Additional details from AZ Central clarify that McCollough's convictions include first-degree murder and first-degree burglary, with additional punishment for the gang motivation behind the crime. His two accomplices in the fatal confrontation, Jimmy Eslinger and Carl Blazak, have accepted plea deals, receiving respective prison terms of 16 years and 10 and a half years.
Maricopa County Attorney, Rachel Mitchell, delivered a resolute message reflecting both justice and defiance: "This sentence sends a clear message that organized criminal violence will be met with organized justice." She praised the team behind the prosecution—prosecutors, detectives, and witnesses—for their tenacity in a trial that cut through the veil of intimidation cast by the Hells Angels. The efforts of these individuals have resulted in a victory not just for the law but for the community, standing firm against fear. As echoed in the county attorney's words, the outcome of this trial reasserts the region's commitment to stand tall in the face of gang-led terror.
