In the summer of 1999, a horrific act of violence cut short the lives of three young people in Phoenix, Arizona. On the morning of July 15th, 17-year-old Roscoe Anthony Merchant Jr., a male, was found murdered in the apartment he shared with his sister, AnnMarie Merchant, and her girlfriend, Cindy Richards. Both women were also victims of the brutal attack.
The tragedy unfolded after AnnMarie had declined attempts by her ex-boyfriend, 18-year-old Eugene Robert Tucker, to visit her the
previous evening. In the early hours of the following morning, Tucker forced his way into the apartment. Inside, he found Roscoe and Cindy asleep and fatally shot them. AnnMarie was then subjected to a vicious assault before she too was shot and killed. Miraculously, Cindy's infant son, who was also in the apartment, was left unharmed.
The investigation quickly led police to Eugene Robert Tucker, who was promptly arrested. He faced a litany of charges, including three counts of first-degree murder, sexual assault, kidnapping, and burglary. The evidence against him was overwhelming, and in 2000, a jury found him guilty on all counts.
During the sentencing phase of the trial, the court heard the harrowing details of the crime. The prosecution highlighted the especially cruel and depraved nature of the murders as aggravating factors. The defense presented what mitigating circumstances they could, but they were not enough to outweigh the brutality of Tucker's actions. He was sentenced to death for each of the three murders, in addition to lengthy prison sentences for the other convictions. The sentences were later upheld on appeal, and Tucker remains on death row.
