GOODYEAR, Ariz — A Maricopa County grand jury has indicted a man with second-degree murder after he allegedly crashed his car into a Goodyear lake and his wife wasn't able to escape the sinking vehicle.
Anthony J. Maiorana, 35, was charged with the Class 1 felony after the grand jury found he allegedly engaged in reckless conduct that "created a grave risk of death," according the defendant's indictment.
Officials said the husband's blood alcohol content was more than twice the legal limit at the time of the crash near Estrella Parkway and Willis Road. Witnesses reported seeing the couple's vehicle driving at a high rate of speed before it submerged into the lake.
Anthony managed to exit the vehicle but his wife, 35-year-old Megan Maiorana, was later found in the car.
The husband's criminal trial is currently scheduled for September.
UP TO SPEED
What is the Valley?:
“The Valley” is what locals call the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is considered the largest metropolitan area in the Southwest.
The Valley is made up of various major cities other than Phoenix, including:
- Mesa
- Chandler
- Scottsdale
- Tempe
- Glendale
- Surprise
- Peoria
- Gilbert
- El Mirage
- Avondale
- Litchfield Park
- Goodyear
- Buckeye
Whether a city is in the “East Valley” or “West Valley” depends on where it is in relation to Phoenix.
The cities of the Valley have a combined population of 4,845,832 people, according to the 2020 United States Census. This makes it the 11th largest metropolitan area in the country right behind the Boston and Atlanta areas.
How big is Maricopa County?
Maricopa County is the United States’ 4th largest county in terms of population with 4,485,414 people, according to the 2020 Census.
The county contains around 63% of Arizona’s population and is 9,224 square miles. That makes the county larger than seven U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).
One of the largest park systems in the nation is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks that includes hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers and campgrounds.
The county’s seat is located in Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the census-designated 5th most populous city in the United States.
The county was named after the Maricopa, or Piipaash, Native American Tribe.