SILENT WITNESS

Phoenix police still searching for clues in generous man’s 2015 murder

Nov 20, 2023, 1:30 PM

Joshua Bentley was killed in Phoenix on Feb. 26, 2015....

Joshua Bentley was killed in Phoenix on Feb. 26, 2015. (Photo via Silent Witness)

(Photo via Silent Witness)

This article originally appeared Jan. 11, 2016.

Bobbie Campbell misses her son, 39-year-old Joshua Bartley.

“Everybody that knew him just loved him,” she said. “He was always there with a helping hand.”

Bartley was found injured and unresponsive behind the Orange Market at Central and Dunlap avenues Feb. 26, 2015. He died at the hospital.

“The investigators were able to determine that Joshua knew or was hanging around people in the area,” Phoenix Police Sgt. Jamie Rothschild said.

Campbell said her son was probably sharing his food with the homeless when he was killed.

“He never met a stranger,” she said. “Wherever we would go, he would talk to people.”

Bartley lived in Lake Havasu City for about 20 years and worked as a plasterer before moving to Phoenix to be closer to family. He loved water sports and was fixing up his boat. His mom said he always smiled.

Bartley never married and didn’t have any children but he had lots of friends.

Campbell said he had a real heart for veterans, especially those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. She donated all of his belongings to veterans organizations.

Read more about the case here.

Silent Witness

homicide victims pose for photo...

Jayme West

Phoenix police looking for suspects in 2014 double murder

After the double murder of an elderly couple at a Phoenix home almost a decade ago, detectives remain determined to find the killer.

20 days ago

side by side of woman who police said committed identity theft...

Jayme West

Police searching for woman who committed identity theft in Valley earlier this year

As clear as the surveillance pictures are, there's no way this brazen I.D thief in Phoenix will be able to keep her crime spree going much longer.

1 month ago

(Pexels Photo)...

Jayme West

Reward offered in case of Phoenix middle school student shot and killed

Silent Witness is offering a reward for information on a shooting that left a 13-year-old Phoenix boy dead in 2010.

2 months ago

Steven Silva and Santiago Silva...

SuElen Rivera

2 suspects arrested after man fatally beaten with club at Phoenix discount store

Two brothers are in custody for allegedly beating a man to death with a club at a Family Dollar Store in central Phoenix Tuesday, authorities said.

2 months ago

two victims of crime shown in Silent Witness photo...

Jayme West

Phoenix police looking for suspects after man burned alive

Police are looking for the public's help to find suspects after a man was burned alive on Christmas Day in 2007.

2 months ago

Photo of 17-year-old Desiree Rivas, who was shot and killed on May 14, 2023, in Phoenix, Arizona....

Jayme West

$12,000 reward offered in case of Phoenix teen killed in graduation party shooting

Police are trying to find the shooter that killed 17-year-old Desiree Rivas while she was leaving a graduation party in Phoenix.

2 months ago

Sponsored Articles

(KTAR News Graphic)...

KTAR launches online holiday auction benefitting Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley

KTAR is teaming up with The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley for a holiday auction benefitting thousands of Valley kids.

Follow @KTAR923...

The best ways to honor our heroes on Veterans Day and give back to the community

Veterans Day is fast approaching and there's no better way to support our veterans than to donate to the Military Assistance Mission.

Follow @KTAR923...

The 2023 Diamondbacks are a good example to count on the underdog

The Arizona Diamondbacks made the World Series as a surprise. That they made the playoffs at all, got past the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Wild Card round, swept the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS and won two road games in Philadelphia to close out a full seven-game NLCS went against every expectation. Now, […]

Phoenix police still searching for clues in generous man’s 2015 murder