Twenty-year-old Jose Rodriguez (pictured), 21-year-old Leonardo Santiago and Manuel Carrasco Calderon face first degree murder charges.(Phoenix Police Department)
By AZFamily Digital News Staff
Three people have been arrested by Phoenix police in connection with the shocking murder of 30-year-old Bernardo Pantaleon. His body was found on a trail near Mountain View Park last week. They were caught on Saturday: Jose Rodriguez (20), Leonardo Santiago, and Manual Carrasco Calderon (both 21). Pantaleon’s family described how horrible the crime was by saying he was found naked, beaten, and brutally tortured. Police said he had also been shot and had suffered a lot of stress. Detectives are thinking about not letting Pantaleon’s family see how sick he is. Several people are worried that this terrible event may have been a hate crime against Pantaleon because he was gay. Investigations are still going on.
After a thorough investigation into the death of Bernardo Pantaleon, police used a number of databases and tools to find Jose Rodriguez, Leonardo Santiago, and Manual Carrasco Calderon as possible suspects. The three people were quickly caught, and it is said that they confessed to the murder while being questioned at the police offices. They have been arrested and are being held in jail while the probe continues. They are now facing several charges, including first-degree murder.
