Authorities stated on Tuesday that an Arizona inmate’s sentence has been extended by 42.75 years due to his involvement in different offenses committed within the jail.
According to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, Jonathan Peterson, 41, has pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder and one count of participation in a criminal street gang.
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Peterson was already serving a 24-year jail sentence for gang-related crimes. The new sentence begins in 2029.
Why was Arizona man sentenced to more prison time?
According to investigators, Peterson planned the assassination of law enforcement informant Juan Raygoza in October 2017 using a smuggled cellphone. Outside the prison, he collaborated with accomplices to transport Raygoza to the assassination site.
Following Raygoza’s death, two of his accomplices in the murder plan were killed, and another individual was targeted in a murder attempt, according to officials.
Authorities said the case was developed using mobile phone analysis, accomplice testimonies, recorded communications, and ballistics evidence.
“This defendant murdered an individual for cooperating with law enforcement—an act that was meant to intimidate and silence others,” Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in a news release Monday. “No matter how clever criminals believe they are, this conviction sends a clear message—we will track them down and hold them accountable, no matter where they are.”
