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Man found guilty of murdering ex-girlfriend's teenage daughter in Mesa

Claudia Lucero, a student of Westwood High School in Mesa, was murdered in 2013 and her body was placed in a dumpster.
Credit: MEDIA POOL CAMERA (KPNX)

PHOENIX — The man accused of killing the 14-year-old daughter of his estranged ex-girlfriend in 2013 has recently been found guilty of first-degree murder and kidnapping. 

A Maricopa County jury delivered their verdict last week in the criminal trial against Alex Madrid, who had been charged with strangling Claudia Lucero to death and then deposing of her body in a Mesa dumpster.

Madrid, 42, was found guilty of first-degree murder, burglary, kidnapping, sexual conduct with a minor, concealing a dead body and unlawful flight. 

Prosecutors said Lucero was killed on the morning of Dec. 5, 2013 when the teenager was home alone and getting ready for school. Madrid had been in a relationship with the victim's mother but had recently moved out of the family's residence. 

After he sexually assaulted and killed the girl, prosecutors said Madrid then staged her bedroom to make it appear as if Lucero had run away. The victim's body was then put in a dumpster located along Brown Road in Mesa.

Madrid's trial started more than a month ago in Maricopa County Superior Court and it took several weeks before the jury delivered a verdict.

Jurors will reconvene at a later date to determine whether the crimes included aggravating factors.

RELATED: 11 years after 14-year-old girl was found dead in Mesa dumpster, her accused killer stands trial

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