On May 15, 2016, 34-year-old Duilio Antonio 'Tony' Rosales was fatally shot during a hunting trip at Excursion Inlet, a remote area approximately 40 miles west of Juneau, Alaska. Rosales, a jeweler from Juneau originally from Nicaragua, had been residing in Alaska since 2011. He was married and had two children.
During the trip, Rosales was accompanied by several individuals, including 53-year-old Mark DeSimone, a former Arizona state legislator who had resigned in 2008 following a
domestic violence arrest. On the evening of the incident, Rosales and DeSimone were alone on the deck of a cabin. Rosales was seated on a bench, removing his boots, when he was shot twice in the back of the head with a. 41-caliber magnum revolver. Witnesses reported that DeSimone confessed to the shooting, stating, 'I shot Tony. I shot him. It's my fault.'
DeSimone was arrested at the scene and subsequently charged with first-degree murder, among other charges. In May 2018, after a trial lasting approximately two and a half weeks, a Juneau jury found DeSimone guilty of first-degree murder. The defense argued that the shooting was accidental, but the jury was not convinced. In June 2019, DeSimone was sentenced to 65 years in prison, with 20 years suspended, resulting in a 45-year term to serve. The sentencing judge acknowledged the lack of a clear motive, describing the act as a 'bizarre impulsive act, motivated by who knows what.'
Rosales' widow, Maria Gonzalez, expressed enduring pain and a desire for closure, stating that the sentence would not bring her husband back but provided a measure of justice. The case left lingering questions about the reasons behind the tragic event, with both the family and the court acknowledging the absence of a clear explanation for DeSimone's actions.
