PHOENIX — Police arrested a suspect in a drive-by homicide case, the Phoenix Police Department said.
The suspect, 24-year-old Anthony Valenzuela, was arrested after police reviewed surveillance footage and Facebook records.
On February 23, officers responded to an emergency call of unknown trouble near the intersection of West Palm Lane and North 85th Avenue, police said. When police arrived at the scene, they discovered the victim, a man, in the driver's seat of his vehicle, dead from gunshot wounds.
After the discovery of the victim, police found a partially eaten bag of Carl's Jr. in the passenger seat. They also discovered maroon paint transferred onto the side of the rear passenger side fender.
Police reviewed surveillance footage of nearby residences and the nearest Carl's Jr. The footage showed a maroon Chevrolet Malibu following the victim who was in his car before the shooting.
Police also found that the victim may have stolen drugs from a man named Anthony after an interview with the victim's family and data extraction from the victim's phone.
The phone number associated with Anthony was run through various criminal databases and came back to Anthony Valenzuela, police said. The addresses associated with Valenzuela were linked to a woman named Brittney Martinez, who owned a 2009 maroon Chevrolet Malibu.
Valenzuela's Facebook records show a woman appearing to be Martinez, sitting in the passenger seat of the maroon Malibu, police said. Additionally, the records also showed what appeared to be multiple pictures of prescription and illicit drugs, along with dollar amounts and weights.
Lastly, conversations between Valenzuela and other users in Facebook Messenger showed Valenzuela asked where the victim lived, police said. Valenzuela also stated that someone had stolen drugs from him and that he possessed a firearm.
Following the collection of this evidence, a search warrant was issued for Valenzuela and Martinez's residence, officers said. Both were arrested and transported to police headquarters.
Officers found a pistol in Martinez's purse as well as a white powdery substance in the master bedroom closet of the house, according to the department.
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