TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — A third border activist has been convicted of killing a southern Arizona man and his young daughter in a 2009 home invasion.
A Pima County Superior Court jury on Friday found 44-year-old Albert Gaxiola guilty of first-degree murder.
Authorities say three people dressed as law enforcement officers forced their way into the victims’ home in Arivaca (ayr-uh-VAH’-kuh), south of Tucson, on May 30, 2009. They say 29-year-old Raul Junior Flores and his 9-year-old daughter Brisenia were fatally shot.
Jurors now must decide if the circumstances of the case warrant consideration of the death penalty. If they do, the Arizona Daily Star reports that defense attorneys will present mitigation evidence.
Gaxiola’s two co-defendants, both from Washington state, have been convicted in the case and were sentenced to death.
