A man who pleaded guilty to shooting two people in a car in central Phoenix was sentenced to nearly 40 years in prison on Friday.
Maricopa County Senior Judge Jeffrey Fish sentenced Javier Urrueta, 27, to two 19-year terms in prison for the second-degree murders of Gerald Love, 50, and Adrian Lopez, 29.
In May 2021, Lopez, her boyfriend Labe, and three friends were hanging out near 22nd Street and Indian School Road when Urueta approached them and repeatedly opened fire on their car. . Lopez and Labe are dead and one of his friends is injured. Labbe and Lopez had previously quarreled with Urueta after interfering in Urueta’s fight.
Urueta signed a plea deal in January on second-degree murder charges for both murders. was dismissed in a plea bargain.
At his sentencing on Friday, Urueta read a letter to the court citing his longtime drug addiction to heroin, methamphetamine, synthetic marijuana “Spice,” Molly, Xanax, Percocet, and “an escape from reality.” He said the incident felt like a long nightmare because he felt dizzy and unconscious the night of the incident after smoking percocet and spices.
“Three people were traumatized, one was injured and two died,” he said, adding, “I will have that nightmare for the rest of my life.”
what happened
Prior to the murder, Lopez and Labe got into an altercation with Urueta, who went by the street name “Gems”. That clash of words will endanger five of his lives on May 19, 2021.
A few days before the incident, Lopez and Labe were present when Urueta got into a fight with another man. A verbal argument began between him and Urueta as Lopez tried to intervene.
During that argument, another man stood up for Lopez and punched Urueta in the face, knocking him unconscious.
Since that incident, Lopez had repeatedly told Urueta that she didn’t want to see him in the area anymore.
A few days later, Urueta became closer when Lopez and Labe were hanging in and around Labe’s car at night. They were with his three friends Cynthia Verdago Macias, Myra Martinez Santilán and Robin Dixon.
Labe was in the driver’s seat and Lopez in the passenger’s seat. Macias and Santilán sat in the back seat. Dixon was standing outside on the driver’s side, talking to Labbe through the window.
Urueta was approaching the car when Labe and Lopez told Dixon that he was the person they were having trouble with. It showed that he walked in front of him to the driver’s seat and then to the passenger’s seat.
Just as Labbe and Lopez told Urueta to leave, Urueta fired multiple shots at the car: Labbe was shot six times, Lopez five times, and Santillan once in the right hand. Macias and Dixon were unharmed.
Urueta fled. According to surveillance footage, he was wearing gray and white shorts with his ECKO logo and a Dodgers baseball cap.
Surveillance footage from nearby businesses close to the scene of the crime showed a clearer picture of what the criminal looked like.
Investigators arrested Ureue on June 7 after comparing footage from the crime scene, nearby businesses, and his apartment complex. He was seen wearing the same outfit in all the footage on the night of the murder.
In an interview with the Phoenix Police Department, Urue denied any involvement in the shooting despite identifying herself on surveillance footage. I was. He said he recognized them, and he told police the last time he saw them was a month ago.
Police also interviewed Urueta’s brother, who said he recognized Urueta and the costume he was wearing in the surveillance video.
“He killed and shattered our souls”
More than 15 people sat in court to support Lopez. Most wore white shirts pinned with orange ribbons to signify awareness of gun violence.
The two read the letter to the judge, describing how funny, vibrant and supportive Lopez was as an uncle, brother, cousin, son and friend, and also expressed how they miss him.
“That Day Xavier [Javier] Not only did he murder my brother, he killed and shattered many of our souls,” Lopez’s sister Antoinette Lopez said.
Throughout the sentencing, the family on Lopez’s side were circling tissue boxes to share.
Prosecution attorney Stephanie Lowe spoke with the Rabbe daughters, pointing out how heartbroken they are over the loss of their father and how he is no longer a part of their lives.
Urueta’s sister read a letter to the court and expressed condolences to the families of the victims. She also described how his depression and drug addiction influenced his decision-making on the night of the incident.
“Javier and his body were there, but his heart and soul were definitely elsewhere.”
In his letter, Urue stated that he was surrounded by addictions all his life and how he grew up as a depressed child. He said no.
“They don’t deserve to die, and if I could trade places with them, I would.”
This report follows the crimes The Republic began covering in 2021 and is part of our commitment to telling the story from start to finish.
