Three men from Phoenix, Arizona, have been charged in the brutal killing of a man found dead on a trail with “significant bodily injuries,” the city’s police department says.
Leonardo Santiago, 21, Manuel Carrasco Calderon, 21, and Jose Rodriguez, 20, were arrested and each charged with first-degree murder in the Nov. 26 death of Bernardo Pantaleon, 30, jail records show.
The three men reportedly confessed to killing Pantaleon, police said in court documents obtained by FOX 10, KTAR News and AZ Family. Pantaleon was shot multiple times and his body was mutilated, the documents state.
The documents also allege Santiago told police he shot Pantaleon after he made what he claimed was an unwanted advance. However, police say text messages police found between the three men allegedly contained detailed plans to rob and kill Pantaleon, media reported.
The AZ family reported, citing court documents, that pictures of Pantaleon’s mutilated body, as well as another person giving a middle finger, were sent to his family via social media.
In court documents, police say group chat messages sent to the three mocked Pantaleon, who was gay, for his sexuality, FOX 10 reported.
Pantaleon’s family started a GoFundMe following his death.
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“As some of you may know, we have lost a loved one in our family,” the GoFundMe organizer wrote. “A person who was not only loving, but the funniest, most caring, loving person you will ever meet. It was never boring with him. Bernardo was a rock for his siblings after the loss of their parents. Unfortunately, we mourn him because we lost him in the most tragic way possible. He will be missed and he did not deserve to suffer the way he did.”
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Bernardo Pantaleon.
Diana Pantaleon/GoFundMe
The GoFundMe has raised more than $5,000.
In addition to first-degree murder, the trio was also charged with aiding and abetting a street gang, while Santiago and Carrasco Calderon were charged with crimes against a dead person, according to jail records. All three are in the custody of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.
It was not immediately clear if any of the three had hired lawyers or entered a plea. They are due in court on Friday.
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Source: HIS Education