Eugene Joseph Escalanti receives life sentence for massacring victim in Gila River Indian Community
October 6th, 2010 - 12:35 am ICT by BNO NewsPHOENIX, ARIZONA (BNO NEWS) — An Arizona man was found guilty for a brutal murder he committed in an Indian community, prosecutors said on Tuesday.
Eugene Joseph Escalanti, 34, of Tucson, Arizona and an enrolled member of the Quechan Indian Tribe, on July 19, 2009, tied and massacred a man to death in a remote area of the Gila River Indian Community.
Escalanti was negotiating the sale of a recreational vehicle with the victim when he began assaulting the victim with a pair of pruning shears. He then bound the victim’s hands together and directed a witness to drive them to the remote area. Once in the reservation, Escalanti beat the victim with a wrench and slit his throat, killing him.
“This was a senseless and brutal act of violence,” said U.S. Attorney Dennis K. Burke. “Marshaling the evidence necessary to convict this defendant took an extraordinary amount of time, effort and old-fashioned police work on the part of law enforcement.”
Escalanti was found guilty by a federal jury on June 25 of First Degree Murder, Kidnapping and First Degree Murder/Felony Murder. On Monday, Escalanti was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Susan R. Bolton to three concurrent life sentences in a federal prison.
- Loughner indicted in Arizona shooting of US congresswoman Giffords - Jan 20, 2011
- Arizona man sentenced to 30 years for distributing over 10 tons of marijuana - Oct 21, 2010
- Tucson shooting suspect charged with murders of judge, congressional aide - Mar 05, 2011
- President Obama calls for moment of silence for victims of Arizona mass shooting - Jan 10, 2011
- Loughner pleads 'not guilty' of shooting US Senator Giffords - Mar 10, 2011
- Leroy Luetscher impaled on pruning shears - Aug 30, 2011
- Arizona shooting suspect pleads 'not guilty' to three attempted murder charges - Jan 25, 2011
- U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords Shot In Arizona - Jan 09, 2011
- Six dead, U.S. Congresswoman Giffords among at least 12 injured in Az. shooting - Jan 09, 2011
- President Barack Obama Pays Visit To Tucson Shooting Victims - Jan 13, 2011
- Sonora, Mexico man sentenced for border crimes in Arizona - Mar 06, 2010
- Tucson park named after youngest shoot-out victim - Mar 02, 2011
- Florida man sentenced for attempting travel to Mexico to have sex with young boy - Jan 21, 2010
- US judge decides against prohibiting release of Tucson shooting autopsy reports - Mar 04, 2011
- Tropical Storm Eugene forms in the Pacific, no threat to land - Jul 31, 2011
Tags: act of violence, arizona man, bno, brutal murder, enrolled member, federal jury, federal prison, felony murder, first degree murder, gila river, gila river indian, gila river indian community, life sentence, life sentences, murder on monday, phoenix arizona, police work, pruning shears, quechan indian tribe, time effort