A devilish man shot his own brother at the back of the head before turning the gun on his brother's innocent son.
Christopher Rey Licon
Jurors deliberated for two days before sentencing an Arizona man to life in prison on Friday for killing his six-year-old nephew after the child witnessed the man shoot his father dead.
Christopher Rey Licon shot his brother in the back of the head over a drug dispute as Jaquez watched TV at their Phoenix town house, then fearing six-year-old Xavier Jaquez would tell authorities, kidnapped the child and drove to an alley 20miles away, then shot him dead.
The boy, surrounded by a pool of blood, was still wearing his school uniform and had a Burger King kid's meal nearby when his body was found by sanitation workers. He also was shot in the back of the head.
Murdered Xavier and Angel Jaquez
Lincon was arrested by Police and charged with murder, but he mounted an unsuccessful insanity defense that would have spared him a prison sentence and sent him to the state mental hospital for the rest of his life. His lawyer said Licon was in the throes of a psychotic episode on the day of the deaths.
A prosecutor argued that Licon was well-aware of his actions when he carried out the killings and took steps to protect himself, such as breaking into an apartment to stash the handgun used in the crimes.
After arresting him, prosecutors interrogated him about the murder. Licon told police he came home to find his brother's body in the town house. But authorities say Licon's alibi collapsed quickly after they interviewed neighbours and gathered other evidence.