Death sentence upheld for man convicted of 2005 “La Mesa Murders” in Yuma

YUMA (AZFamily) — The Arizona Supreme Court is upholding the death sentence for the man convicted of killing a family of six in Yuma nearly two decades ago.

Preston Strong was convicted in 2017 for the 2005 killings, known as the “La Mesa Murders.” Strong was convicted of murdering his best friend, Luis Rios, his girlfriend and her four children, ages six to thirteen.

Strong and Rios had a dispute over money. Rios and his girlfriend’s six-year-old son were found shot. The other victims died of asphyxiation.

He was indicted for the crime nine years after the killings happened. That delay is what contributed to some of his appeals.

Strong tried appealing his death penalty conviction, citing pre-indictment delays, misconduct and bias. He claimed one member of the jury knew about his previous conviction for the 2007 murder of a Yuma doctor.

The state supreme court denied his appeal, affirming his death sentence.

“It was violent, very violent. It was just an average neighborhood that this happened in, but it rocked a whole town because holy cow this happened to a whole family,” said Yuma Police Sergeant Lori Franklin.

Franklin said Strong’s conviction was a win for the victim’s family members and the detectives who worked hard to gather all the evidence.

“I had only been working a few years in the department at that time, and I remember the detectives working for days. That house, that street was closed for days. It can take hours to collect evidence. For something like this, you only get one shot,” Franklin said.

Franklin said she’s happy the court system is working as it should.

“They have the right to an appeal, and we just have to wait it out,” said Franklin.

Strong will now be sent back to death row at the state prison complex in Florence, pending any further appeals.

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