Mesa Police Make an Arrest in Double
Homicide
Mesa, AZ – (November
10th, 2022, 11:00am) Mesa Police have arrested 44-year-old Johnel
Trinidad for the double homicide that occurred on 11/01/2022 at 124 N 67th
Street in Mesa.
On
11/01/2022 at around 11:15pm, Mesa Police received several calls about shots
being fired at 124 N 67th Street in Mesa. When officers arrived,
they found the victims Ronnie Lazalde and his wife Natishia Lazalde under a
stairwell outside of an apartment. Both Ronnie and Natishia had suffered
gunshot wounds. Ronnie was pronounced deceased at the scene and Natishia was
transported to the hospital where she died at around 1:20am.
Detectives
determined through their investigation that Natishia was with Johnel in an
apartment when Natishia’s son came over for a visit. Johnel and the son got
into a verbal argument and all three of them walked outside where Ronnie joined
in the argument. As the argument continued, Johnel pulled a weapon and fired at
Ronnie and the son. The son then pulled his own gun and fired at Johnel while
he was running away. When the shooting stopped, Ronnie and Natishia had both
suffered what turned out to be fatal wounds and Johnel was shot in the leg.
Johnel was transported to the hospital where he was treated for his wound and
later released into police custody.
Through
interviews, investigative techniques and forensic evidence recovered at the
scene, Detectives found probable cause to charge Johnel Trinidad with two
counts of Manslaughter (C2 felonies) for the deaths of Ronnie and Natishia, and
one count of prohibited possessor (Class 4 felony). Johnel was booked into jail
for the above listed charges.
