BY LINDA BENTLEY | NOVEMBER 3, 2010
Illegal alien in love triangle with juvenile held for attempted murder
PHOENIX – Phoenix police arrested Manuel de Jesus Quintero, 19, on Oct. 26 and booked him into Maricopa County Jail on charges of murder in the first degree and possession of a weapon by a prohibited person. The charges are considered non-bondable as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has placed a detainer on Quintero, which, according to Vincent Picard, ICE public affairs spokesman, “simply indicates ICE has an interest in reviewing Mr. Quintero’s immigration status and ensures that he will be transferred to ICE custody following adjudication of his criminal charge.”
On Friday, Sgt. Steve Martos, media relations for Phoenix Police Department, at first had difficulty finding information about Quintero being arrested for murder. He later determined the reason why – the victim was not deceased and, for that reason, could also not release his name.
It also appears some of the charges against Quintero have been changed since he was originally booked to “conspiracy to commit” and “attempt to commit” murder.
The conspirator, according to Martos, is Quintero’s girlfriend, a juvenile of 16 or 17 years of age, who has also been charged.
According to Martos, Quintero’s girlfriend went to the house of the victim, a former boyfriend of hers, and called him outside.
Martos said, after the victim stepped outside, Quintero, “literally came out of the bushes and shot him.”
In August 2009, Quintero pled guilty to an amended count of possession or use of marijuana, designated a class 1 misdemeanor, and was placed on one year probation.
A.R.S. 13-901.01 (A) provides that any person convicted of a first offense for personal possession is eligible for probation and states, “The court shall suspend the imposition or execution of sentence and place the person on probation.”
Statute also requires that the defendant participate in an appropriate drug treatment or education program for which he must pay to the extent of his financial ability.
Quintero’s probation specifically stated he not possess or control any firearms, ammunition or prohibited weapons, as defined by A.R.S. § 13-3101, which indicates, since he had no prior felony convictions or charges of domestic violence, he was prohibited by virtue of being an “undocumented alien.”
While the charges against Quintero also cite his ineligibility to receive public benefits, A.R.S. 13-3418 (C) specifically excludes from that definition “benefits available for drug abuse treatment, rehabilitation or counseling programs.”
As part of his unsupervised probation, Quintero was ordered to complete a minimum of eight hours of drug education within 120 days of sentencing, pay a probation service fee of $65 per month and a fine of $1,380.
The court also ordered the docket to be updated to reflect defendant’s true name as Manuel de Jesus Quintero Cabanillas.
Now, less than three months after being discharged from probation, Quintero was arrested for being in possession of a weapon and conspiring with his juvenile girlfriend to attempt to murder her former boyfriend, who was treated for a non-life threatening gunshot wound.
Quintero is scheduled for arraignment at 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 3 at the regional court center located at 201 W. Jefferson, Phoenix.
