On a December afternoon in Phoenix, Arizona, a senseless act of violence tragically cut short the life of 38-year-old Stella Montes. On December 9, 2021, the Hispanic mother of three was driving with her fiancé and eight-month-pregnant daughter near the intersection of 7th Avenue and Beardsley Road. What began as a simple traffic altercation quickly escalated into a fatal road rage incident.
After honking at the driver in front of her at a light, Montes drove around the vehicle, an action that apparently enraged the other driver.
The angered driver followed Montes and opened fire, striking her with a gunshot. The injury caused Montes to lose control of her white SUV, which then crashed into a wall. Despite the immediate efforts of a neighbor and a police officer who performed CPR, Montes succumbed to her gunshot wound at a local hospital. Her family, who had just moved into a new home to begin a new chapter, was left devastated by the sudden and violent loss of a woman they described as a strong single mother and their pillar of strength.
In the wake of the shooting, the Phoenix Police Department launched an investigation, releasing photos of the suspect's vehicle, a 2015 Dodge Challenger, to the public in an appeal for information. For nearly a year, Stella Montes' family waited for justice. Their prayers were answered when detectives tracked a suspect to Michigan.
Lewis Anthony Clark, 33, was arrested and extradited back to Arizona to face charges for the murder of Stella Montes. Investigators learned that Clark had a prior criminal record, having previously served prison time for a shooting in 2014. The arrest brought a sense of relief to Montes' grieving family, though they still face the long and painful journey of the legal process. The case against Clark is moving forward, with his trial expected to begin in the coming year.
