In the early morning hours of October 11, 2015, a verbal dispute in a Gilbert, Arizona, home escalated into a tragic double homicide. Seventeen-year-old Alexander 'Alex' Tamborski, a White male, was visiting his girlfriend at her mother's house when the mother's roommate, 35-year-old Michael Crain, opened fire, killing both Tamborski and the girlfriend's 33-year-old mother, Stacey Steward.
The sole survivor of the horrific event was Steward's teenage daughter, who managed to escape and alert the authorities.
Friends described Alex Tamborski as a bright, funny, and motivated young man with aspirations of becoming a pilot. He was a senior at Corona Del Sol High School and also attended the East Valley Institute of Technology to pursue his dream of flying. The community was deeply affected by his sudden and violent death, with friends and family expressing their heartbreak over a promising life cut short. In the wake of the tragedy, crisis counselors were brought to his high school to support grieving students, and a GoFundMe account was established to assist his family with funeral expenses.
Following the shooting, Michael Crain fled the scene. He was later located by police walking along a canal. When confronted by officers, Crain made a threatening motion and was shot by the police, sustaining critical injuries. After his release from the hospital, Crain was arrested and charged with two counts of first-degree murder, as well as single counts of aggravated assault, burglary, and misconduct with weapons.
Initially pleading not guilty, Crain later changed his plea to guilty on two counts of first-degree murder. In June 2016, he was sentenced to two natural life sentences in prison, plus an additional 10 and a half years for the other charges. The case was officially solved with his conviction, bringing a measure of justice to the families of Alexander Tamborski and Stacey Steward.
