In the late hours of August 21, 2023, a sense of unease led friends of Harry Nguyenhuy Doan to contact the Phoenix police. They hadn't seen or heard from the 25-year-old man, prompting a welfare check at the apartment complex on the 3030 block of North 7th Street where he was staying. What the officers discovered inside was a scene of violence; Doan was found deceased, having suffered from multiple gunshot wounds.
The investigation into the death of the male victim quickly focused on a
suspect with a personal connection to him. Detectives learned that Doan was in a relationship with a woman whose ex-boyfriend, 26-year-old Rene Penaloza, had made previous threats against Doan. This information provided a strong lead, and investigators established probable cause to arrest Penaloza for the murder.
With the assistance of the Department of Public Safety, law enforcement tracked Penaloza to the Tucson area. A traffic stop was conducted, and he was taken into custody. During questioning, Penaloza admitted to his involvement in the homicide. He was subsequently booked on multiple charges, including murder, for the brutal killing.
