Current:Home > Finance3 suspects arrested in murder of Phoenix man whose family says was targeted for being gay -NextFrontier Finance
3 suspects arrested in murder of Phoenix man whose family says was targeted for being gay
View
Date:2025-04-15 15:58:10
PHOENIX (AP) — Three suspects have been arrested in connection with last month’s murder of a Phoenix man whose friends and family allege was targeted because of his sexuality, according to authorities.
The men have been charged with first-degree murder in the Nov. 25 death of 30-year-old Bernardo Pantaleon.
The victim was found dead and naked in a city park, and court records show he was fatally shot, with his body later mutilated with a knife.
Police said the suspects sent photos of Pantaleon’s body to his family members. The men were arrested Saturday and remained jailed Tuesday on bonds ranging from $500,000 to $2 million.
Pantaleon’s friends and family have said they believe he was the victim of a hate crime because he was gay and wore glamorous clothing. Police investigators said the suspects -- all in their early 20s — planned to rob Pantaleon and then kill him.
Days after Pantaleon’s death, detectives said social media messages between the three suspects that discuss the murder were reviewed.
“Some made derogatory remarks regarding the victim’s sexuality and a derogatory statement about homosexuals not being allowed” in Phoenix’s northside, according to a probable cause statement.
Police said the suspects were interviewed and all three confessed to the murder. It wasn’t immediately clear Tuesday if any of the men had lawyers yet.
veryGood! (7)
Related
- RFK Jr. closer to getting on New Jersey ballot after judge rules he didn’t violate ‘sore loser’ law
- Police Weigh in on Taylor Swift's London Concerts After Alleged Terror Attack Plot Foiled in Vienna
- VP Candidate Tim Walz Has Deep Connections to Agriculture and Conservation
- NYC driver charged with throwing a lit firework into a utility truck and injuring 2 workers
- Eva Mendes Shares Message of Gratitude to Olympics for Keeping Her and Ryan Gosling's Kids Private
- St. Vincent channels something primal playing live music: ‘It’s kind of an exorcism for me’
- Consumers—and the Environment—Are Going to Pay for Problems With the Nation’s Largest Grid Region
- Google antitrust ruling may pose $20 billion risk for Apple
- Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear ready to campaign for Harris-Walz after losing out for spot on the ticket
- Love Is the Big Winner in Paris: All the Athletes Who Got Engaged During the 2024 Olympics
Ranking
- Jay Kanter, veteran Hollywood producer and Marlon Brando agent, dies at 97: Reports
- Pregnant Cardi B Details Freak Accident That Nearly Left Her Paralyzed
- Columbia University deans resign after exchanging disparaging texts during meeting on antisemitism
- 'Euphoria' star Hunter Schafer says co-star Dominic Fike cheated on her
- IOC's decision to separate speed climbing from other disciplines paying off
- 16-year-old Quincy Wilson to make Paris Olympics debut on US 4x400 relay
- Americans tested by 10K swim in the Seine. 'Hardest thing I've ever done'
- A win for the Harris-Walz ticket would also mean the country’s first Native American female governor
Recommendation
Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
It Ends With Us' Justin Baldoni Praises Smart and Creative Costar Blake Lively
Florida sheriff’s deputy rescues missing 5-year-old autistic boy from pond
Georgia school chief says AP African American Studies can be taught after legal opinion
Skins Game to make return to Thanksgiving week with a modern look
A win for the Harris-Walz ticket would also mean the country’s first Native American female governor
Family members arrested in rural Nevada over altercation that Black man says involved a racial slur
The 10 college football transfers that will have the biggest impact