A Laveen man, Aaron Aldric Thomas, has been sentenced to two consecutive natural life sentences for the murder of two people in Mesa in 2022.
According to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, before meeting his victims on January 28, 2022, Thomas, planned their murder. He acquired a gun, gloves, and a mask and arranged to buy drugs from the victim at his residence. As soon as the victim opened the door and turned his back to him, Thomas, without saying a word, raised his handgun and began shooting the victim in the back. As Thomas was about to leave with the stolen drugs, a second victim started screaming, begging for her life. Once again, without hesitation, he shot her multiple times before shooting the first victim again at point-blank range.
During their investigation, police were able to obtain DNA from a retaining wall that Thomas had touched while fleeing the home. Police also found video footage from inside the home, the driveway, nearby residences, and businesses that placed Thomas at the scene of the crime. Police tracked Thomas to his home in Laveen, where he was arrested. At the time of his arrest, Thomas was a prohibited possessor from prior felonies.
“In two minutes, this man killed two people in such a cold-blooded, calculated way, making prison for the rest of his life the right place for him to be,” said Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell.
On December 14, 2023, Thomas was found guilty of two counts of First-Degree Murder, a Class One Dangerous Felony, two counts of Armed Robbery, a Class Two Dangerous Felony, and one count of Burglary in the First-Degree, a Class Two Dangerous Felony. Thomas was sentenced on May 3rd and received a natural life sentence for each count of first-degree murder and 21-years for each of the remaining charges.