In the quiet community of Sun City Grand in Surprise, Arizona, 70-year-old Barbara Anita Leslie, a woman known for her vibrant and welcoming personality, was tragically killed in her home in February 2016. A retired teacher with a master's degree in education, she was a cherished mother, grandmother, and active member of her community, enjoying tennis, golf, and the company of her many friends.
At the time of her death, she was hosting a friend, 75-year-old Ruth Schwed, who was visiting from New Mexico.
The grim discovery was made after Schwed's family requested a welfare check when they were unable to reach her. Police entered Leslie's home to find both women deceased from gunshot wounds. The initial investigation revealed no signs of forced entry, leaving the community in a state of fear and uncertainty. What appeared to be a random act of violence soon unraveled into a story of a robbery gone horribly wrong.
Investigators pieced together the events, determining that two men, Andrew Thomas Lauro, 24, and Montez Lavell Wright III, 23, had entered Leslie's home through an open garage door. According to Lauro's statement to the police, upon entering, they encountered one of the women reading a newspaper and the other walking out of the living room. It was then that Wright allegedly shot both victims. The men then stole valuables, including credit cards and the victim's vehicle.
The investigation quickly gained momentum when a cell phone that did not belong to the victims was discovered at the crime scene. This, along with records of approximately $23,000 being charged to one of the victim's debit cards, led authorities to the suspects. Within weeks of the murders, Lauro was arrested in Goodyear, Arizona, and Wright was apprehended in Michigan. A third individual, Tichina Shephard, who was later identified as Wright's wife, was arrested in 2017 after a period of evading law enforcement. She was connected to the case after it was discovered she had been using the victims' stolen credit cards. Ultimately, all three suspects were convicted for their roles in the double homicide and were sentenced to life in prison.
