Peoria Police arrest man accused of breaking into home, killing 2 people in 2023

PHOENIX — A man accused of breaking into a home and killing two people in Peoria last year was arrested in Gilbert on Monday afternoon, authorities said.

Alexander Lee Smith, 21, was booked into jail on two counts of first-degree murder, the Peoria Police Department announced Tuesday.

Officers were called to reports of a shooting near 79th Avenue and Cholla Street around 4:15 a.m. on Nov. 11, 2023, and found two victims with gunshot wounds.

Walter Mitchell, 52, died from his injuries at the scene. His wife, 42-year-old Susie Ephrem, was taken to a hospital for her injuries and died there.

What other details are available in the Peoria police case?

Police believed Smith broke into the home before shooting the victims.

They said the crimes were “not believed to be a random act.”

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the Peoria Police Department Tip Phone Line at 623-773-7045 or Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS (948-6377) or 480-TESTIGO (837-8446).

No other information was available.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story had the incorrect date of the crime.

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