In the late hours of a Thursday evening in Tucson, Arizona, the life of 36-year-old Hispanic female Alejandra Valles Valenzuela was tragically cut short. On January 20, 2022, in the 1100 block of East Irvington Road, Alejandra was fatally shot. When police officers arrived at the scene following reports of a shooting, they found her already deceased.
Alongside her was her boyfriend, who had also sustained injuries in the attack, though his were not life-threatening and he was transported to a hospital for treatment. The incident began as a confrontation, escalating quickly and violently, leaving a community to mourn a life taken too soon.
For several weeks, the question of who was responsible for Alejandra's death remained unanswered, and her family pleaded for justice. The Tucson Police Department investigated the homicide, seeking information from the public to piece together the events of that fateful night. The investigation led them to 31-year-old Emilio Casimiro Lopez. The search for Lopez came to an end on Wednesday, February 23, 2022. He was located after reports of him trespassing in several residential yards. His apprehension was not without incident, as a K9 unit was involved, and Lopez sustained minor injuries during his arrest for which he received treatment.
Following his capture, Emilio Casimiro Lopez was charged in connection with the death of Alejandra Valenzuela. The charges brought against him were severe: first-degree murder and aggravated assault. He was subsequently booked into the Pima County Jail, where he was held on a $500,000 bond, bringing a measure of resolution to the initial phase of the investigation into Alejandra's untimely passing.
