Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced that 42-year-old Alex Anthony Madrid has received the death penalty for the murder of a teen girl.
On December 6, 2013, the body of 14-year-old Claudia Lucero was found in a dumpster two miles away from her home in Mesa. Lucero's mother had reported her missing after nobody had seen her at school the day before her body was discovered.
The medical examiner's report stated Lucero died of strangulation and her body showed signs of sexual assault. Madrid was arrested after DNA collected from Lucero's body matched Madrid's.
Officials said Madrid was the estranged boyfriend of Lucero's mother and had recently moved out of her home.
Records showed that Madrid had been released from prison in March 2013 after serving time for aggravated assault, resisting arrest, and aggravated harassment.
In October 2024, a jury found Madrid guilty of multiple felonies, including first-degree murder, kidnapping, sexual conduct with a minor, burglary, abandonment or concealment of a dead body, and unlawful flight from law enforcement.
“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 in a statement. “I commend our prosecutors Christopher Sammons and Jennifer Carper, and the Mesa Police Department for their unwavering dedication for more than a decade to getting justice for Claudia and her family.”
MCAO says the death sentence is in addition to the 91 years he was already sentenced to for kidnapping and other charges related to Lucero's death.
