A grieving Arizona father-in-law unleashed on the man who murdered his son-in-law, rushing him inside a Phoenix courtroom and landing several punches to the back of his head during a chaotic sentencing hearing.
Alberto Ontiveros-Sanchez, 55, snapped moments after delivering an emotional victim impact statement in Maricopa County Superior Court on Wednesday, turning toward convicted killer Abel Uribe and attacking him as courtroom officers scrambled to intervene.
Video from the hearing shows Sanchez charging toward Uribe, 33, and striking him multiple times before deputies managed to pull the two apart.
The sudden attack sent the courtroom into chaos and briefly halted proceedings.
Sanchez’s attorney later said the grieving father-in-law lost control after watching Uribe laugh and snicker following his remarks to the court.
“After, Mr. Ontiveros-Sanchez gave his remarks at the podium, he was very emotional,” said Lueders. “He came back and saw that the defendant who was there to be sentenced was laughing, snickering, and he lost it.”
Uribe was in court to be sentenced for the 2022 murder of David Navidad-Parra, a 27-year-old Army veteran who was killed after meeting Uribe for a test drive of a car he was trying to sell.
Navidad-Parra was reported missing in December 2022 after the meeting.
His body was later discovered, while the vehicle he had been trying to sell was found burned miles away.
Investigators said Uribe robbed Navidad-Parra and was later arrested after attempting to use the slain veteran’s credit card.
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Uribe eventually pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, kidnapping, armed robbery and other charges tied to the killing.
During Wednesday’s sentencing, Sanchez addressed the court about the devastating loss before walking back toward his seat.
Then came the explosion.
After allegedly seeing Uribe laughing, Sanchez turned around, rushed toward the defense table and began throwing punches.
Uribe was handcuffed and wearing leg restraints at the time, according to authorities.
Officers quickly swarmed the pair, separating Sanchez from Uribe before the confrontation could continue.
Sanchez appeared to try to move toward Uribe again before officers restrained him.
He was arrested following the courtroom attack and later found himself standing before a judge on allegations including aggravated assault involving a restrained victim and interfering with a judicial proceeding.
His attorney, Christian Lueders, urged the court to consider the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the outburst, telling the judge Sanchez had no prior criminal history and had spent his life working and supporting his family.
‘He’s been a model citizen for his entire life,’ Lueders told the judge.
Judge Kristin Culbertson acknowledged the raw emotions surrounding the murder case but made clear that attacking someone inside a courtroom crossed a line.
‘You attacked somebody in a courtroom, and now you’re asking the court to be lenient on you?’
‘I personally can’t imagine the emotions that you must have been feeling today, but we cannot tolerate that kind of conduct in court,’ Judge Culbertson said.
Sanchez was later released on his own recognizance.
Uribe’s sentencing resumed after the disruption.
Under his plea agreement, Uribe was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of release after 25 years on the murder charge, followed by an additional prison term for kidnapping.
The courtroom confrontation capped a brutal case that began nearly four years earlier with Navidad-Parra meeting a potential buyer for what should have been a routine car sale and ended with his killer being attacked by the grieving father-in-law who had just confronted him in open court.
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[ H/T Trending Politics ]
