The Maricopa County Attorney’s office says a man who was convicted of the murder of a high school freshman over a decade ago will be executed.
In connection with the 2013 murder of 14-year-old Claudia Lucero, 42-year-old Alex Anthony Madrid received a death sentence on January 16.
Victim initially reported as missing
According to authorities, Madrid’s death sentence comes in addition to the 91-year jail sentence he received for other offenses in the case.
Claudia Lucero was the victim of a murder in 2013.
Prosecutors claim Claudia Lucero’s family reported her missing to Mesa Police when she failed to return home from school.
Lucero’s body was discovered in a garbage dump two kilometers from her home the day after her family filed a police report.
According to the medical examiner’s report, Lucero died from strangulation, and her body “showed signs of sexual assault.”
Prosecutors said that forensic evidence connected Madrid to the crime, leading to his detention.
MCAO officials report that Madrid’s conviction for first-degree murder, kidnapping, sexual behavior with a minor, second-degree burglary, abandonment or concealment of a dead body, and unlawful escape from law enforcement occurred in October 2024.
“After waiting 11 painful years to see Claudia’s murderer be held accountable, the day has finally arrived for Claudia’s mother and the Lucero family. I have had the privilege of being with them and saw firsthand the pain they’ve been through,” said County Attorney Rachel Mitchell.
With the death penalty, Madrid will join the 111 other convicts on Arizona’s death row.
The website of Maricopa County states that Arizona law automatically grants an appeal to the Arizona Supreme Court for individuals sentenced to death.
“Post-conviction proceedings are governed by Rule 32 of the Arizona Rules of Procedure and provide the grounds for available relief, including a new guilt or sentencing trial. The most common ground raised in post-conviction is ineffective assistance of trial or appellate counsel,” a portion of the website reads.