In the late afternoon of September 1, 2021, a tow truck was seen driving erratically near Buckeye Road and 43rd Avenue in west Phoenix. A concerned bystander took heroic action, jumping into the moving vehicle to bring it to a stop. Upon stopping the truck, the good samaritan made a grim discovery: the driver, 31-year-old Evanni Corona, was covered in blood. Emergency services were called, and it was soon determined that Corona had been shot.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital but ultimately succumbed to his injuries. Investigators later found bullet holes in the driver's door of his tow truck.
The investigation into the death of the male tow truck driver quickly focused on 29-year-old Luis Delgadillo Garcia. According to the Phoenix Police Department, Garcia had been making threats against Corona in the days leading up to the fatal shooting. The two men had a history of conflict, including a heated argument at Corona's tow yard in June of that year that involved gunfire, though no arrests were made at the time. Family members of Corona also reported that he had been receiving threatening messages and felt he was being followed prior to his murder.
Luis Delgadillo Garcia was taken into custody on September 16, 2021, on suspicion of killing Evanni Corona. While he initially denied any involvement in the murder, he was charged with first-degree murder and vehicle theft. Subsequently, Delgadillo-Garcia pleaded guilty to the lesser charges of second-degree murder and vehicle theft. In December 2022, he was sentenced to 22 years in the Arizona Department of Corrections for his role in the death of Evanni Corona.
