In the pre-dawn hours of a Tuesday morning in Phoenix, Arizona, the life of 35-year-old Blanca Gutierrez Calzoncit was brought to a violent and tragic end. On January 31, 2017, as she was placing her two young children into her car in the parking lot of her apartment complex, she was shot multiple times at close range. The attack was witnessed in part by residents who heard a quarrel and loud bangs around 5:30 a.m. but could not see the unfolding horror from their windows.
Despite the proximity of her children to the gunfire, they were physically unharmed. A bullet did, however, strike the car door near where the youngest child was buckled in.
The investigation swiftly focused on Gutierrez Calzoncit's ex-husband, 40-year-old Josiah English III. The couple was entangled in a bitter and protracted divorce and custody dispute. Court records revealed a history of domestic violence allegations against English, with Gutierrez Calzoncit having previously sought refuge at a domestic violence shelter. So great was her fear that she had taken to documenting and recording all her interactions with him. A key point of contention in their legal battle was her desire to relocate with the children to Mexico, a move English vehemently opposed.
On the day of the shooting, a court of appeals had ruled against English in a matter related to their divorce. He had appeared angry in a court hearing just the day before regarding a request for his ex-wife to travel to Mexico with the children. A witness at the scene of the shooting reported seeing a Ford Expedition leaving the area. Investigators later discovered that English had rented a vehicle of the same model the day before and returned it just four hours after the murder. Based on this and other evidence, Josiah English III was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and aggravated assault in connection with the death of Blanca Gutierrez Calzoncit. His bond was set at $1 million.
