For more than two years the residents of Phoenix, Arizona, were victims of seemingly random serial shooting murders, but now they can finally rest a little easier.

That’s because Aaron Saucedo, the man dubbed ‘the Monster of Maryvale’, is in custody. He was already sitting in jail for one murder, but now Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams has announced that Saucedo is “linked to nine murders and 12 incidents between August of 2015 and July 2016”.

The shootings always took place at night, with people shot outside of their homes in random acts of violence, leaving residents terrified.

Some facts about Saucedo and his crimes via Heavy:

Saucedo Is Already Facing Charges in the Shooting Death of One Man

…Saucedo was taken into custody in April and charged with the shooting death of 61-year-old Raul Romero, who “was discovered shot at an apartment complex.” He has pleaded not guilty in that 2015 murder, the news site reported, and authorities now say it’s part of the shooting spree…

In the case of the shooting spree, authorities said previously that the killer didn’t always use the same car; witnesses have described a white Cadillac or Lincoln and a “a late ’90s or early 2000s 5 series BMW,” said NBC. This led police to consider whether the gunman “works as a mechanic or on a used car lot” or somewhere else where he would have easy access to multiple cars

The Killer Attacked People Who Were Standing Outside Their Homes or Sitting In Cars

Police say the killer’s M.O. was to attack victims “as they stood outside their homes or sat in vehicles after dark,” according to CBS News. The killer either fired while sitting in a car or stepped out of a vehicle and fired…

The Mayor Called the Arrest a ‘Good Day’ in Phoenix

“For more than a year now, the Phoenix Police Department has been carefully and methodically working this case. When it became apparent there was a serial shooter terrorizing our community, our officers did not rest.”

The mayor said officers had a clear mission: “Bring this killer to justice and get it right.”

He said that tens of thousands of hours were put into the case by officers. There were 3,300 silent witness tips, and “those tips led directly to where we are at today,” said the mayor…

“Tips from within our own community led us to a possible suspect,” said [Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams], adding that the investigation has included everything from witness statements to ballistics to surveillance videos.

The Killer Allegedly Told Police He Changed His Appearance

Saucedo is accused of telling police that he changed his appearance after news coverage of the sketch and serial shootings, The New York Times reported. He also stopped driving his BMW once police released information about the suspect’s vehicle, according to the newspaper.

In July, CNN described the man as “a lanky Hispanic male under 5 feet, 10 inches tall,” according to Sgt. Jonathan Howard of the Phoenix Police Department.

However, in the same story, CNN said that witnesses had described the man “as a light-skinned Latino or white man in his 20s.”

The Serial Killer’s Victims Do Not Appear Connected to Each Other

…police cannot find any link among the victims of the spree shooter, who used a semi-automatic handgun to commit the crimes. Other than Romero, there’s been no personal link alleged between them and Saucedo, either…

What drives a human being to cruise around the neighbourhood and murder people for no apparent reason? He killed a 12-year-girl who was standing in her driveway – why?

Humans really are the worst sometimes.

[source:heavy]