Former Mesa pizza shop supervisor gets life in prison for murdering man he saw as romantic rival

PHOENIX — A 31-year-old Mesa man has been sentenced to natural life in prison for murdering his coworker in 2023, authorities announced Tuesday.

Tyler McGuire worked as a supervisor in a Mesa pizza shop, along with his victim, 22-year-old Deazo Seghi, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.

McGuire was convicted of one count of first-degree murder.

“This sentence delivers justice for the victim and affirms that this level of violence will be met with the strongest consequences under the law,” Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in the announcement.

Why was Mesa man sentenced to natural life in prison?

Tensions between McGuire and Seghi began in December 2022, when McGuire confronted Seghi and accused him of pursuing a woman who worked with them at the pizza shop.

According to prosecutors, McGuire had become fixated on the woman he supervised, even after she told him she wasn’t interested.

Over the following year, McGuire’s anger toward Seghi intensified. He eventually purchased a gun and searched for Seghi’s home address.

McGuire later shot and killed Seghi while the victim was sitting in his vehicle outside an apartment complex near Stapley and Brown roads in Mesa, prosecutors said.

Witnesses told Mesa police they saw McGuire walk up to the vehicle, shoot Seghi multiple times in the chest and then run away.

Days after McGuire’s arrest, his mother told police about his diary, which had entries with messages like, “I needed to kill someone” and “If I had my way, I’d be with her. Although that opportunity was stolen from me.”

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