In the late hours of a Thursday evening in Tempe, Arizona, the lives of two young men were tragically cut short in a burst of gunfire. On May 18, 2017, 16-year-old Kayon Williams and 20-year-old DeSean Estrada were discovered shot to death inside a car in the parking lot of the Garden Grove apartment complex. Responding to a call about gunfire around 11:15 p.m., police found the victims in a car with the engine still running.
One was in the driver's seat, and the other in the front passenger seat. Williams was a junior at McClintock High School, where he was described as well-liked and funny, with a gift for making people laugh.
The initial investigation suggested the shooting was not a random act of violence. It was later determined that Williams and Estrada were at the apartment complex to meet with individuals for what they believed was a drug transaction. This meeting, however, allegedly turned into an armed robbery that resulted in the fatal shootings. A third person who was in the car with Williams and Estrada was also shot but survived the attack with a graze wound. This individual managed to flee the scene and was later instrumental in helping investigators identify the suspects involved.
Within a week of the murders, Tempe police, with the assistance of U.S. Marshals, arrested four young men in connection with the double homicide. The suspects were identified as 18-year-old Brandon Nichols, 18-year-old Taylor Bush, 19-year-old Montre Williams, and 20-year-old Justin Santos. They faced charges of first-degree murder, aggravated assault, and armed robbery. The investigation continued, and nearly a year later, in March 2018, a fifth suspect was apprehended. Eighteen-year-old Adrian Carlos Barrios was taken into custody on a grand jury warrant. Evidence, including cell phone tower data, placed him at the scene of the crime, and it was discovered that he had been in communication with one of the victims prior to the deadly encounter. Barrios, who was 17 at the time of the incident, also faced charges of first-degree murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and attempted armed robbery.
