Staff Reports | Community Updates
The Tempe Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service arrested 32-year-old Jose Juan Vergara Ortiz in connection to a fatal stabbing that took the life of 20-year-old David Lopez.
On Dec. 27, 2008, Tempe Police responded to an apartment complex at 801 E. McKellips Drive after David Lopez showed up at the doorstep of a neighbor asking them to call 911, saying he had been stabbed. Later that evening, Mr. Lopez died from his injuries.
“We are grateful to the U.S. Marshals Service Mexico Investigative Liaison Team for their collaboration and endless pursuit of justice. We hope this arrest helps ease the pain for the family of the victim of this violent crime,” said Tempe Police Chief, Ken McCoy.
Back in 2008, Detectives tirelessly investigated the homicide but ultimately the case went cold. In 2014, a Tempe detective assigned to cold cases re-opened the case and with the use of an advanced DNA scientific examination, Ortiz was linked to the fatal stabbing.
Ortiz fled the county and after many years, the hard work and dedication of Tempe detectives paid off.
“The U.S. Marshals Service and Tempe Police Department worked relentlessly on this case and successfully located and extradited this fugitive from justice from the country of Mexico,” said Van Bayless, U.S. Marshal for the District of Arizona. “We are committed to use all of our collective law enforcement resources against anyone committing violent acts in our communities and bring them to justice.”
The arrest warrant was for the following charges:
- 1st degree murder (class 1 felony)
- Armed Robbery (class 2 felony)
