A Maricopa County man, Gerardo Vazquez Alvarez, has been sentenced to 42 years in prison for the murder of his ex-girlfriend.
According to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, on April 12, 2023, Phoenix Police responded to reports of a shooting inside a Burger King in West Phoenix. According to witnesses, Alvarez arrived at the restaurant, ordered food, and waited for the victim to come to the front counter before walking over and shooting her. One of the victim’s coworkers, a teenager, was also critically injured. Before the shooting, Alvarez and the victim had been arguing over the phone about their relationship and children.
“Not only did a young mother lose her life that night, but multiple young people were also put in harm’s way and will have to live with the trauma of what they saw and heard due to the defendant’s callous actions,” said County Attorney Rachel Mitchell. “In committing this offense, he altered many lives, but most of all, those of his own young children.”
On April 11 of this year, Alvarez pled guilty to one count of Second-Degree Murder, a Class One Dangerous Felony, one count of Attempt to Commit Second Degree Murder, a Class Two Dangerous Felony, and one count of Disorderly Conduct, a Class Six Dangerous Felony.
During the sentencing, the parents of the victim told the court, “She was an exemplary mother…she guarded her children so much because they were her greatest treasure, but now she has left such a huge void in us.”