The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office say a person has been sentenced to prison for his role in a murder that happened at a homeless encampment in Phoenix that was known as “The Zone.”
Baskin has been sentenced to 38.5 years in prison for murdering Geoffrey Rugwiro more than three years ago. Baskin pleaded guilty to Second-Degree Murder, a Class One Dangerous Felony; and Kidnapping, a Class Two Dangerous Felony.
On March 21, 2023, Baskin and Dave Dinkins stomped and beat the victim at a large homeless encampment in Phoenix, formerly referred to as “The Zone.” Surveillance video showed them moving Geoffrey’s body in a shopping cart and throwing him into a dumpster. Baskin is then seen on video using a 2×4 wooden plank to deliver dozens of blows into the dumpster in the area where the victim’s head was located. He then gave Dinkins a lighter to set the dumpster on fire.
Geoffrey had arrived at the homeless encampment only hours before his death. He called his brother that night and made plans to get picked up the next day. His family didn’t know what happened to him until his body was identified months later.
At sentencing, his brother told the court that Geoffrey took over caring for their family after their parents’ deaths. He emigrated to the United States more than 25 years ago and was sending money back to Rwanda to help his brothers and sisters.
“Geoffrey was dedicated to his family and, as a human being, deserved better than to be beaten and discarded in the trash,” said Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell. “While no sentence can fill the void in his family’s lives, Homicide Bureau Chief Jon Eliason ensured justice was served.”
Dinkins was previously sentenced to 42 years in prison after pleading guilty to Second-Degree Murder, a Class One Dangerous Felony; and Kidnapping, a Class Two Dangerous Felony.
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