Last week a Casa Grande man was sentenced to 24 and a half years in prison for the death of Anthony Randle, 45, who died in 2013.
Zachary Merriman, 21, was sentenced by a Pinal County Superior Court judge to 23 years in prison for one count of second degree murder and one and a half years for one count of tampering with evidence.
The Pinal County Court said that Casa Grande police responded to a stabbing in the Silver Mesa Apartments in July 2013 where they discovered Randle dead.
The defendant told the police he had acted in self-defense by using a rock, police reported.
Merriman also tried to dispose of the body and bleach the crime scene, officials said.
"This murderer smashed the victim in the head with a rock then proceeded to stab him multiple times. My duty commits me to keep our Pinal families safe and continue to push for harsh sentences for all violent offenders," Pinal County Attorney Lando Voyles said.
