Phoenix man receives consecutive life sentences for murder of 2 in Mesa

A Phoenix man was sentenced to two consecutive natural life sentences for the murder of two people in Mesa earlier in May.

Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell recently announced the sentencing of 55-year-old Aaron Aldric Thomas for the murders.

“In two minutes, this man killed two people in such a cold-blooded, calculated way, making prison for the rest of his life the right place for him to be,” Mitchell said in a release.

Before meeting his victims on Jan. 28, 2022, Thomas planned their murder. He acquired a gun, gloves, and a mask and arranged to buy drugs from the victim at his residence, the release states.

As soon as the victim opened the door and turned his back to him, Thomas, without saying a word, raised a handgun and began shooting the victim in the back, according to the release

As Thomas was about to leave with stolen drugs, a second victim started screaming, begging for her life. Once again, without hesitation, he shot her multiple times before shooting the first victim again at point-blank range, the release states.

During an investigation, police obtained DNA from a retaining wall the defendant had touched while fleeing the home. Police also found video footage from inside the home, the driveway, nearby residences and businesses that placed the defendant at the scene of the crime.

Police tracked the defendant to his home in Laveen, where he was arrested. At the time of his arrest, the defendant was a prohibited possessor of firearms from prior felonies.

“I commend Homicide Bureau Chief Jon Eliason and Deputy County Attorney John Hudson for their work on this complicated case,” Mitchell said in the release.

Thomas was found guilty on Dec. 14, 2023, of two counts of first-degree murder, a class one dangerous felony; two counts of armed robbery, a class two dangerous felony; and one count of burglary in the first-degree, a class two dangerous felony.

Thomas was sentenced on May 3 and received a natural life sentence for each count of first-degree murder and 21 years for each of the remaining charges.