PHOENIX – Two teenagers are in custody in connection with the murders of Phoenix coffee house workers last year. Castulo Cervantes, age 15, and Antonio Palafox-Zermeno, age 16, have been booked into Maricopa County jail on first-degree murder charges.
The teens were also each charged with two counts of attempted armed robbery and two counts of aggravated robbery. Both are being held on a $1 million bond.
David Bessent, age 41, and Zachary Walter, age 24, had just finished a shift at Jobot Coffee on 3rd and Roosevelt streets when they were shot during an armed robbery. Officers responded to a shooting call near 3rd Avenue and Roosevelt, just a few blocks from the coffee shop, at approximately 3:30 a.m.
The teens are charged as adults. Palafox-Zermeno was 15 and Cervantes was 14 at the time of the shooting.