Azucena Reina Jerez Price was a 17-year-old Hispanic female from Arizona, remembered by friends and family as funny, loving, caring, and ambitious. Her life was cut short on the night of March 15, 2023, during a gathering of teenagers at a duplex apartment in midtown Tucson.
That evening, Azucena was at a house party when another guest, 16-year-old Juventino Cervantes-Burke, arrived with a handgun. According to witness statements, Cervantes-Burke began recklessly brandishing the weapon to show it off. At some point, the gun discharged, and a single bullet struck Azucena in the head.
While Cervantes-Burke fled the scene, two other young men at the party, 19-year-olds Joshua Galen Wood and Christopher Bravo, allegedly attempted to conceal the crime. Wood later admitted to police that he wrapped Azucena’s body in a sheet, carried her through an alley, threw her over a wall, and dragged her to the complex’s swimming pool.
When Tucson Police officers responded to a 911 call about a shooting, they found blood at the apartment doorway and followed a long trail that led them to the pool, where they discovered Azucena’s body in the water. Investigators later found burned sheets in a nearby yard, which they believed was part of the effort to destroy evidence.
Within days, police arrested all three suspects. Cervantes-Burke was charged with manslaughter. Wood was booked on charges including concealment of a body, evidence tampering, hindering prosecution, and third-degree burglary. Bravo was charged with evidence tampering and hindering prosecution for his alleged role in the cover-up.
Juventino Cervantes-Burke was ultimately convicted of manslaughter. At age 17, he was sentenced to serve 17 years in adult prison for killing Azucena. Her father, Fred Jerez, commented on the sentence, stating, "I like the number. The number is good for 17 and it gave him 17. So that'll signify something to me.” The case against the shooter is now closed.
