In the early morning hours of January 22, 2015, Grant Jonathon Ronnebeck, a 21-year-old male, was working the overnight shift at a QuikTrip convenience store in Mesa, Arizona. His life was tragically cut short in a senseless act of violence that began over a transaction for a pack of cigarettes. Apolinar Altamirano, then 29 years old, entered the store and placed some change on the counter to make his purchase.
As Ronnebeck was counting the coins, Altamirano produced a handgun and fatally shot him. After the shooting, Altamirano stepped over Ronnebeck's body to take cigarettes before fleeing the scene.
A witness who heard the gunshot was able to quickly alert a nearby Mesa police officer. This initiated a pursuit of Altamirano, which turned into a high-speed chase. The chase ended when police were able to spin Altamirano's vehicle, leading to his arrest. Inside his car, authorities found a handgun and an unopened pack of cigarettes. Altamirano, a citizen of Mexico who had been living in the United States without authorization, was a prohibited weapons possessor. He had a previous conviction for burglary in 2012, for which he received probation. At the time of the murder, he was awaiting deportation hearings.
The legal proceedings that followed spanned several years. Initially, prosecutors sought the death penalty against Altamirano. However, a court later determined that he was intellectually disabled, making him ineligible for execution. In May 2022, Altamirano pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, armed robbery, burglary, and unlawful flight from law enforcement. He was subsequently sentenced to 38.5 years in prison. On April 19, 2025, Apolinar Altamirano died in custody at the age of 39; the cause of death was to be determined by the Medical Examiner's Office. Grant Ronnebeck was remembered by friends and family as a dedicated and well-liked young man with a constant smile.
