Arizona man convicted of murdering aunt sentenced to 13 years in prison

PHOENIX (AZ Family) — An Arizona man convicted of Stabbing a family member to death When he was 14 years old he knew how long he would spend behind bars.

Ares Adle, who was convicted of second degree murderHe was sentenced to 13 years for the 2019 murder of his aunt. Tonya Harper, 42.

“I hope they find God to forgive me,” Adle said on the other side of his family moments after his sentence was read.

“We’re glad the judge looked at the mental health and, for all intents and purposes, that Ares is a good person,” said Latrice Ciricillo, Adle’s mother.

“Oh, we are heartbroken. “This has been mentally, physically and emotionally damaging for all of us,” said Harper’s sister, Sophia Evans.

Tonya Harper’s youngest son, Omar Harper, addressed the judge.

“Every day I blame myself for what happened. Whenever I needed her she was there, but the only time she needed me,” said Omar Harper.

He had to leave the room overwhelmed with sadness, since he and his family were asking for the maximum sentence of 25 years.

During the night of February 1, 2019, Adle, then 14, stabbed and killed his aunt in their home near Alma School and Chandler Heights, south of Chandler. Prosecutors say he planned the crime, pointing to evidence that Adle cut more than a dozen phone lines and hid some of his aunt’s cellphones and the bloody knife.

Defense attorneys argued against the accusations.alleging that prosecutors lacked a motive for the crime.

New evidence was presented to the court on Thursday.

The state claimed Adle mocked the court system and the victim’s family after his conviction.

They showed a video call that he had with his mother behind bars.

“Are you happy now? Are you happy with yourself? Now that you see me in orange, are you so happy? Are you dizzy inside? Adle can be seen addressing his other aunt in the video.

The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office case agent also revealed new details of Adle’s disturbing and disturbing past.

“Ares has a history of behavioral problems, underage drinking, violence toward animals and allegations of sexual abuse against his cousin,” MCSO Detective Shonci Hawkins said.

But Adle’s family had long said it was a psychotic mental health outbreak, and in October they told Arizona’s family that he was diagnosed with a form of schizophrenia after the murders.

Mental health was not admissible during the trial, but the judge has access to medical reports on the matter.

Adle’s family, including his wife, leaned on that during their victim impact statements Thursday.

“I feel like my husband needs help, not 25 years in a closet, a 4×4 closet. He needs help from the doctors,” said Ares Adle’s wife, Fame Adle.

“Can she get help because she needs it? I pray that someone gets it before something drastic like this happens,” Tonya Harper’s aunt Annetta said, supporting Ares.

In the end, the judge agreed that the mitigating factors outweighed the aggravating factors and that the only way to explain what happened was a child who had serious mental health problems and handed down a 13-year sentence for Ares Adle.

The range was between 10 and 25 years.

But realistically, no one celebrated the ending, as Tonya Harper was kidnapped too soon by a teenager, now a man, who tore this family apart.

“He killed Tonya. He stole a part of us all and destroyed our family. “Ares is the devil himself walking among us,” Evans said.

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