A previously convicted man out on probation, Roberto Trejo, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the murder Frank Vitale.
According to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, in October 2024, the 66-year-old Vitale had just finished lunch at a buffet located near 99th Avenue and McDowell Road and was in the front seat of his car when he was approached by the defendant, Roberto Trejo. Without warning, Trejo pointed a handgun through the window and shot Vitale before fleeing the area. With the help of witnesses and surveillance video, the defendant was located and arrested by Avondale Police.
Vitale was preparing to retire and had recently bought a home in Maricopa County where he planned to live with his sister. He had arrived in Arizona two days earlier to prepare for the move. Police found no connection between the victim and the defendant and no apparent motive for the shooting.
Trejo had been released from prison almost five months earlier and was on supervised probation at the time of crime. He pleaded guilty to one count of Second-Degree Murder, a Class One Dangerous Felony.
“No amount of time will be enough to make up for the pain and suffering this defendant has caused,” said Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell. “At 20 years old, he had the opportunity to improve his behavior but instead chose to do the unimaginable and take a life. Thanks to the work of homicide prosecutor Daniel Strange, this defendant will no longer be a threat to the community.”
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