PHOENIX — A 19-year-old man has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for killing a young woman in south Phoenix last year, court records show.
Leon Verdugo was recently sentenced in Maricopa County Superior Court after he pleaded guilty to the second-degree murder of 18-year-old Frida Valdez.
The young victim was shot to death at a residence near Central Avenue and Roeser Road on Aug. 31, 2022. Verdugo and Jesus Barrera were taken into custody shortly after Valdez's death.
Barrera was sentenced to a two-year term of probation after pleading guilty to evidence tampering, records show.
Last month, Verdugo pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and burglary. He was sentenced to a combined prison sentence of 35 years and was credited 439 days for jail time already served.
Verdugo is projected to be released from the Arizona Department of Corrections in June 2056.
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