In the winter of 2023, a 25-year-old musician and producer in Phoenix known as 'Prince Azlynn,' Austen Jarrett Mole, vanished. The last time he was seen was in February near 19th Street and Camelback Road. His disappearance prompted a missing person report as his family and friends grew increasingly concerned for his welfare.
The search for the male musician came to a grim conclusion on March 31, 2023. His body was discovered at the bottom of a canal near 16th Street and Baseline Road.
The circumstances of the discovery were disturbing; his body had been weighed down with cinder blocks in an apparent attempt to conceal it. It was later determined that Mole had been shot following a dispute.
During the investigation into a separate murder of Chad Munoz in May 2023, law enforcement uncovered a connection to Mole's death. The suspect in the Munoz case, Timothy Bernal, was linked to Mole's killing, which had occurred a couple of months prior. Investigators learned that Bernal had shot Mole during a dispute. At the time of both murders, Bernal was on probation.
Timothy Bernal was subsequently arrested and faced legal proceedings for both killings. He pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder. In a Maricopa County Superior Court, a judge sentenced Bernal to 48 years in prison for his role in the deaths of both Austen Mole and Chad Munoz.
