In the early morning hours of New Year's Day 2016, a tragic and senseless act of violence cut short the life of 22-year-old Jesus 'Jesse' Olivas in the Maryvale neighborhood of Phoenix, Arizona. Olivas, a young man known for his good heart and his compassion for the less fortunate, was walking north on 58th Drive when he was gunned down. He was remembered by his mother as someone who would often ask her for money to help feed the homeless, a testament to his kind and caring nature.
The
initial investigation into Olivas's death left police with few leads. Eyewitnesses could only provide a vague description of an unknown man driving a gray, four-door car who had driven up to Olivas and shot him multiple times before fleeing the scene. For months, the case remained unsolved, leaving a grieving family and a fearful community in its wake. The seemingly random and unprovoked nature of the attack was both baffling and terrifying, a sentiment that would only grow as more violent and seemingly unconnected shootings occurred across the Phoenix area.
The break in the case came as part of a much larger and more terrifying investigation into a series of shootings that had been plaguing the city. Law enforcement eventually connected Olivas's murder to a string of other homicides and violent assaults that became known as the 'Serial Street Shootings.' Through a combination of forensic evidence and tips from the public, investigators were able to identify a suspect: Aaron Saucedo. In May 2017, Saucedo was arrested and charged with a multitude of felonies, including the murder of Jesse Olivas and eight other individuals. The arrest brought a sense of relief and the beginning of closure to the families of the victims, who had long awaited answers in the deaths of their loved ones. Saucedo was ultimately held responsible for a reign of terror that had gripped the Phoenix community.
