Suspect in Arizona cold case murder from 2008 is behind bars

PHOENIX – The suspect in a 2008 cold case murder in Tucson is in custody, authorities announced Monday.

In the early hours of Nov. 2, 2008, an unknown assailant shot two men in a neighborhood near Tucson Boulevard and Drexel Road, according to the Tucson Police Department.

The shooting occurred after a confrontation in the front yard of a home that was hosting a party on the 2100 block of East Alaska Street.

One of the men, 20-year-old James Noriega, was killed. The other victim was left paralyzed.

At the time, police were unable to identify the shooter, who fled the scene.

Cold case investigators continued to review the incident and eventually identified 35-year-old Rafael Soto Alvarez as the suspect.

Early this year, police obtained a warrant for Alvarez’s arrest.

On Saturday, Pima County Sheriff’s Department investigators who were working on an unrelated case located Alvarez. With help from the K-9 unit, deputies took Alvarez into custody after he tried to flee.

Tucson Police detectives interviewed Alvarez before he was booked into jail on counts of first-degree murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

His bond was set at $1.01 million. The investigation into the cold case is ongoing.

Related

Arizona man arrested in connection with 1991 kidnapping, murder in CaliforniaCars & Coffee experience starts in downtown Chandler with exotic, classic and luxury vehiclesWoman dies after rollover crash near downtown PhoenixGerman semiconductor firm shutters Mesa plant, lays off workersSAFE Alert canceled after 78-year-old man last seen in Gilbert found deadLuxury developer sells Paradise Valley estate for $19M and the drywall isn’t even in yet