Fugitive wanted for murder brought back to Arizona, sentenced to 18 years in prison

A fugitive who fled to Mexico after a 2022 murder in Phoenix has been sentenced to 18 years in prison, authorities announced Tuesday.

Antonio Rios, 26, was sentenced for killing Jose Juan Lopez, according to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.

Prosecutors said Rios was trying to persuade a woman to leave a Phoenix bar with him when Lopez, her friend, intervened. Angered, Rios retrieved a handgun from his vehicle and opened fire on Lopez and the woman.

After being shot in the leg, Lopez fled through the parking lot while returning fire with his own handgun. Rios pursued him by car and shot him, then fired again after Lopez fell to the ground.

Lopez was taken to a hospital with life-threatening injuries and died several days later.

Rios fled to Mexico and remained a fugitive for three years. Authorities extradited him from Nogales, Mexico, to Arizona in September 2025.

“For more than three years, Rios thought he could outrun justice by hiding across the border. He was wrong,” said Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell. “This office does not give up on bringing violent offenders back to face the consequences of their actions, no matter how long it takes.”

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