Four alleged gang members have been charged with savagely murdering a gay man in Arizona and then sending photos of the victim’s mutilated body to his family.
Bernardo Pantaleón, 30, was found dead in a Phoenix city park on November 26.
Investigators said he had been shot several times and then defiled with a knife.
Pantaleón’s family and friends said they believe he was attacked and killed because he was gay and often wore glamorous clothing and makeup.
“He was brutally attacked and there was a trail of blood all over the place where he had been found, meaning he had to run for his life and try to get to safety. He couldn’t make it,” his cousin Anai Pantaleón told media outlet Arizona Republic.
Four days later, Pantaleón’s relatives received photos through Instagram showing his disfigured body and another of someone pointing the middle finger at the crime scene.
Bernardo Pantaleon, 30, was found murdered in a park in Phoenix, Arizona, on November 26. Bernardo Pantaleon/Facebook Pantaleon’s mutilated body was discovered in a desert area of Mountain View Park. KPNX
Three of the suspects in the murder, identified as Leonardo Santiago, 21, Manuel Carrasco Calderón, 21, and José Rodríguez, 20, were arrested on Saturday.
The fourth, Christopher Ibarra, 21, was arrested on Monday.
The suspects are believed to be linked to the North Side 15th Avenue street gang.
Police said they planned to rob Pantaleón and then kill him.
Leonardo Santiago, 21, allegedly admitted to killing Pantaleón after he made an unwanted advance toward him. MCSO Manuel Carrasco Calderon, 21, allegedly used a knife to mutilate Pantaleon’s body after he died. MCSO Jose David Rodriguez, 20, was allegedly present during the murder. MCSO Christopher Ibarra, 21, allegedly told police he knew about the planned murder but did nothing to stop it. MCSO
Santiago allegedly admitted to police that he had shot and killed Pantaleón because he had made “an unwanted advance that made him feel uncomfortable,” according to court records cited by Fox 10 Phoenix.
Calderon allegedly brutalized the victim’s body with a knife, and Rodriguez was present during the murder in Mountain View Park.
It was Rodríguez’s Instagram profile that sent the images of Pantaleón’s bloodied body to his family, according to court documents, although the suspect denied sending them.
That profile led police to the suspects’ group chat, in which they allegedly discussed Pantaleón’s murder.
Pantaleón’s family received photos of his desecrated body via Instagram days after his death. Bernardo Pantaleón/Facebook
“Some made derogatory comments about the victim’s sexuality and a derogatory statement about homosexuals not being allowed” on Phoenix’s north side, according to a probable cause statement.
Santiago said in messages to his alleged accomplices that he was going to “catch” Pantaleón on the night of November 25, according to court records.
Other members of the group chat, including Calderón and Rodríguez, allegedly asked for updates and photographic and video evidence of the murder.
Santiago was charged with first-degree murder, while Calderón and Rodríguez were charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder.
Santiago and Calderón were also charged with crimes against a dead person.
An improvised monument near the place where Pantaleón was killed. KPNX
Ibarra, who was arrested earlier this week, was charged with first-degree murder and aiding a gang.
Police said a social media profile used by Ibarra was in the chat where the other suspects discussed Pantaleón’s murder.
Ibarra allegedly admitted that he knew about the planned murder and “did nothing about it,” although he acknowledged that “it was wrong not to say anything,” according to records.
Ibarra also allegedly admitted receiving photographs of Pantaleón’s lifeless body, but denied sending them to the victim’s family.
Pantaleón worked in elderly care and supported his siblings. Bernardo Pantaleón/Facebook
The four were ordered detained with bail ranging from $500,000 to $2 million.
Pantaleón worked as a caregiver for the elderly. He was described in a GoFundMe campaign as the “rock” of his three siblings after they lost his parents at a young age.
The family member who created the fundraiser said the 30-year-old “was not only full of love, but he was the funniest and most caring person you will ever meet.”
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Source: vtt.edu.vn