Adrian Aguilar was convicted of murder, kidnapping and aggravated assault in the 2023 killing of 19-year-old Amira Crofton.

PHOENIX, Ariz. — A 23-year-old man was sentenced to life in prison plus 26 years after prosecutors said he drove around Tempe and repeatedly shot his 19-year-old girlfriend during a jealousy-fueled attack in June 2023.

Adrian Aguilar’s sentence, announced April 14 by Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, ends a case that began with a call for help near Broadway Road and 48th Street and grew into a murder prosecution centered on control, fear and a false story to police. A jury found Aguilar guilty in February of first-degree murder, kidnapping and two counts of aggravated assault in the killing of Amira Crofton.

The case began as an afternoon between a young couple who had been dating for about three months, according to court records described in local reports. Aguilar and Crofton left work together around 1 p.m. in June 2023 and later went to a pool party. Prosecutors said Aguilar used alcohol and cocaine before the two left. He was expected to take Crofton home, but the trip changed after he saw text messages on her phone from a male friend asking her to spend time together. Mitchell said the violence that followed was “callous, calculated, and rooted in jealousy.”

Prosecutors said Aguilar began demanding that Crofton tell him whether she was cheating. Crofton repeatedly denied having a relationship with someone else. Aguilar accused her of wasting his time and threatened to shoot her unless she admitted to an affair, according to the account presented by authorities. Over about 45 minutes, prosecutors said, Aguilar kept driving through Tempe and the surrounding area while asking the same questions and firing at her. The first shots described in court records came near South Rural Road and East Broadway Road, then about a mile away near Broadway and Roosevelt Street.

The attack moved through several locations before ending near Broadway Road and 48th Street. Authorities said Crofton cried, asked Aguilar to stop and asked to be taken home. Prosecutors said she suffered 11 gunshot wounds to her head, neck and torso, along with injuries to her face, head and hands. One account said the car crashed into a curb after Crofton tried to grab the gun and the weapon discharged. Police later said a witness saw Aguilar outside the vehicle firing multiple shots into the passenger seat before walking away from the car.

When officers arrived, they found Crofton not moving and believed she was dead. Aguilar was nearby with a gunshot wound to his shoulder. Prosecutors said he first claimed that gang members had walked up to the car and opened fire. Investigators found problems with that account after comparing his statements with witness information and physical evidence at the scene. After officers interviewed him further, prosecutors said Aguilar admitted that he shot Crofton because he believed she had disrespected him. They said he also admitted shooting himself in the shoulder.

The prosecution turned the moving-car attack into a case with several charges, not just murder. Jurors found Aguilar guilty of first-degree murder, a Class 1 felony; kidnapping, a Class 2 felony; and two counts of aggravated assault, Class 3 felonies. The kidnapping count reflected the allegation that Crofton was kept in the car while the shooting continued. The aggravated assault counts reflected additional violence tied to the repeated gunfire. Prosecutors Shaylee Beasley and Katie Staab handled the case for the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.

The sentence includes life in prison for murder and an additional 26 years tied to the other convictions. Court records cited by local reports said Aguilar received 16 years for kidnapping and 10-year terms for the aggravated assault counts, with the assault terms running at the same time. That structure left 26 years added to the life sentence. Aguilar was 20 at the time of the killing and 23 when the sentence was announced. The public record did not show any pending new charges tied to the case after sentencing.

The County Attorney’s Office used Crofton’s age and trust in Aguilar to frame the harm at sentencing. “This young woman placed her trust in the defendant, and he repaid that trust with brutal violence,” Mitchell said. Prosecutors said Crofton was scared and crying as the attack continued. The office also said the killing began with a text message from another man, but the verdicts rested on Aguilar’s actions during the drive, the witness account at the final scene and his later admissions to police.

Several details remain limited in the public summaries of the case. Officials did not release a full map of every location where shots were fired. Public accounts also did not identify the witness who called for help or describe the full trial record. Local reports used both Amira and Amria as spellings for Crofton’s first name; the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office identified her as Amira Crofton in its sentencing announcement. No public statement from Crofton’s family was included in the county announcement.

The April sentencing marked the final major step in the county’s prosecution. Aguilar is serving a life sentence plus 26 years after the February guilty verdicts. Prosecutors said the case stands closed with Aguilar held accountable for Crofton’s death.

Author note: Last updated May 6, 2026.