In a tragic and senseless act of road rage, 39-year-old Larry Milligan, a male resident of Phoenix, Arizona, lost his life on September 24, 2020. What began as a brief encounter on the road quickly escalated into a fatal shooting that left a family devastated. Milligan was driving near 7th Avenue, just south of Interstate 17, when the incident unfolded.
The entire exchange, from start to finish, lasted a mere 48 seconds, a fleeting moment that would forever alter the lives of those involved.
The initial call to authorities was for a single-vehicle rollover crash. Phoenix police officers responded to the scene near 7th Avenue and Gibson Lane to find Milligan's vehicle overturned. He was the sole occupant and was pronounced dead at the scene. However, upon further investigation, it was discovered that Milligan had sustained a gunshot wound. Investigators determined that he had been shot while driving, which caused him to lose control of his vehicle and crash. The tragic event left behind his wife and three children, who now had to face a future without their devoted husband and father.
The investigation into Milligan's death led authorities to identify a suspect, Steven Orona. Surveillance footage from the area captured the chilling moments of the crime, showing Orona pulling his vehicle alongside Milligan's car and firing a single shot through the open window before speeding away. The bullet struck Milligan in the head, causing his death. For over a month, Orona managed to evade capture. Phoenix police eventually located his SUV on a property in Buckeye that belonged to the family of his girlfriend, Yessenia Garcia Rocha. In an attempt to conceal his involvement, the rims of the vehicle had been painted to alter its appearance.
Steven Orona was subsequently arrested and charged with the murder of Larry Milligan. His girlfriend, Yessenia Garcia Rocha, who was a passenger in the vehicle at the time of the shooting, later testified that she and Orona had conspired to hide the SUV. For her role in attempting to cover up the crime, Rocha pleaded guilty to tampering with physical evidence and was sentenced to one year of probation. A jury found Steven Orona guilty of first-degree murder and drive-by shooting. He was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the fatal road rage incident that tragically cut short the life of Larry Milligan.
