3 Valley gang members sentenced after pleading guilty to violent crimes

PHOENIX — Three documented Valley gang members were sentenced last month to decades in prison for their roles in a 2020 violent crime spree, authorities said Thursday.

Jaquan Bailey, 20, Stephon Mitchell, 20, and Vincent Culbreath, 40, each pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including murder, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office said in a press release.

Bailey, who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder, was sentenced to 40 years in state prison by a Superior Court judge.

Mitchell was sentenced to 40 years for second-degree murder and armed robbery.

Culbreath received a 35.5-year sentence for second-degree murder armed robbery.

Each of the defendants was prohibited from possessing guns because of previous felony convictions.

MCAO said the men were involved in the fatal shooting of a man in Mesa and the shooting of a woman in Guadalupe.

“The victims in this case were innocent bystanders who were simply going about their lives when they were targeted by known gang members,” County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in the release.

“Violence, intimidation or harm against the community will simply not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

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