A sentencing hearing at Maricopa County’s South Court Tower was halted Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026, after Alberto Ontiveros Sanchez lunged at Abel Uribe and struck him, according to FOX 10 Phoenix. Uribe had been convicted of killing David Navidad-Parra, Sanchez’s son-in-law.
FOX 10 reported that Sanchez hit Uribe four or five times in the back of the head with a closed fist while Uribe was restrained with handcuffs and leg chains. Sanchez’s attorney said he acted after seeing Uribe laughing and snickering at the defense table. The attack followed Sanchez’s victim impact statement; the judge stopped the proceeding and ordered the courtroom cleared.
What the court materials establish
Sanchez had just spoken to the court before the attack. FOX 10 reported that the judge condemned the violence while acknowledging Sanchez’s grief.
The Judicial Branch of Arizona in Maricopa County’s courthouse visitor protocols say everyone must be screened each time they enter a courthouse. They do not show what screening or courtroom procedures were followed during this hearing, or explain how the court handled the altercation. FOX 10 reported that Sanchez was arrested and released on his own recognizance.
A comparison, not a trend
The Phoenix assault is distinct from another highly publicized courtroom attack: The Associated Press reported that on Jan. 3 in Las Vegas, Deobra Redden vaulted over the bench and attacked Judge Mary Kay Holthus as she was about to sentence him in a separate felony battery case. In Phoenix, by contrast, the reported assailant was a victim’s relative and the target was the convicted defendant. These separate cases illustrate different ways violence can interrupt court proceedings; they do not establish that such incidents are becoming more frequent.
Uribe pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in Navidad-Parra’s killing and was sentenced to life in prison, FOX 10 reported. Navidad-Parra, a 27-year-old U.S. Army captain, was found shot dead in Phoenix on Dec. 16, 2022. FOX 10 reported that he had disappeared during a test drive arranged as part of a private vehicle sale; his vehicle was later found burned in Glendale.
