Arizona man gets life sentence for murdering Vietnam war veteran he lived with

PHOENIX — A judge sentenced a Prescott man to life in prison on Monday for a 2024 murder, authorities said.

Adam Leslie Tucker, 36, murdered his 73-year-old roommate in December 2024, according to the Yavapai County Attorney’s Office.

He told investigators he had been using marijuana when he strangled the sleeping victim, who was a Vietnam War veteran, prosecutors said.

The murder took place at a veterans’ housing facility in downtown Prescott.

Police first heard about the incident after Tucker called 911 and informed them of the murder, saying he had been thinking of killing his roommate “for a while,” prosecutors said.

Tucker told investigators the victim was a pedophile, but police couldn’t find any evidence of that claim, even after an “exhaustive” search.

Tucker’s claim was fabricated, according to Yavapai County Attorney Dennis McGrane.

“The murder of a veteran is a heartbreaking and unacceptable act that strikes at the core of our Yavapai County community’s values,” McGrane said in a Thursday news release. “The victim’s service to our country will never be forgotten.”

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