Man gets life sentence for brutal murder of Scottsdale homeless woman

PHOENIX – A man who pleaded guilty to violently killing a homeless woman in Scottsdale in June was sentenced Friday to life in prison.

Tips from the public helped lead investigators to arrest Jadyn Curtis, 22, for the death of 70-year-old Paulette Larwinski.

In the addition to a life sentence for first-degree murder, Curtis received a consecutive life sentence for sexual assault and 21-year consecutive sentences for kidnapping and armed robbery.

“The grief shown by the community over this heinous crime cannot be erased by today’s sentencing, nor the loss healed for those who knew and cared for this victim,” Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery said in a press release.

“At least those who have been impacted by this senseless loss of life can be confident that this brutal criminal will spend the rest of his life in prison with no opportunity to ever harm innocent people again.”

On June 24 at around 3 a.m., Larwinski was attacked and sexually assaulted on the patio of an Old Town Scottsdale business in the area of Brown Avenue and First Street.

Larwinski frequently slept on the patio and was well known in the area.

She was taken to a hospital in critical condition and died of her injuries June 30.

Using tips from the public and other evidence, investigators determined that Curtis beat Larwinski with a large rock before raping her.

Curtis was arrested July 12, and his DNA was found at the murder scene.

He was a former employee at a business near where the attack took place.

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