Buckeye police make second arrest in murder of 15-year-old boy
Mar 16, 2023, 8:00 PM
Michael Michel (MCSO Photo)
(MCSO Photo)
PHOENIX — Buckeye police announced Thursday they have arrested a second suspect in the murder of a 15-year-old boy that occurred in late January.
Michael Michel, 19, was arrested Wednesday night and booked into the Fourth Avenue jail on multiple charges including homicide in the death of Brendan Valenzuela, the Buckeye Police Department said in a social media post.
Valenzuela was found shot on Jan. 22 near Rooks and Lower Buckeye roads, authorities said.
A 17-year-old was booked into a juvenile detention center in early February on homicide charges related to the death of Valenzuela.
Police at the time said Valenzuela was with a group of people near Rooks and Southern Avenue when he and the 17-year-old got into an altercation prior to the shooting.
After the shooting, Valenzuela was driven four miles to where he was found.
Buckeye police said they continued to investigate leads into the case and Michel was identified as an additional suspect.
Michel was arrested after a search warrant was served at a Phoenix home with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service, Buckeye police said.
