Bodies of missing Arizona couple found, man arrested for murder
By David Schwartz
PHOENIX (Reuters) - The bodies of an Arizona couple who vanished 10 days ago have been found by police and a local man was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of shooting them to death and burying them in his backyard, authorities said.
Mike and Tina Careccia were reported missing by their son on June 22 and were last seen by relatives the night earlier, police said. Their 2008 Honda Accord was found covered in dirt about a mile from their home in Maricopa, in the desert 30 miles south of Phoenix.
Authorities said Jose Valenzuela, 38, was arrested without incident while still carrying the suspected murder weapon, a .22-caliber revolver. He was booked into the Pinal County jail on suspicion of two counts of first-degree murder, and is being held on a $2 million cash bond.
Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu said Valenzuela told investigators he killed the couple following a disagreement inside the suspect's residence.
Valenzuela also told police he and the couple used methamphetamine together, and that they had known each other for two years, said Babeu, adding that the suspect may have been high at the time.
The sheriff said Valenzuela borrowed a backhoe to bury the couple's bodies, telling an acquaintance he needed it to move some materials.
"Instead what he did is he built, not a makeshift grave, but an actual six-foot grave and he put these victims in that grave," Babeu told a news conference.
He said detectives continue to work the case to sort out conflicting information that surfaced during the investigation. A second man was at the scene at the time, Babeu added.
"We believe right now that this is a very strong case and we're trying to make it even stronger for the victims ... and for their surviving family," he said. "We want justice here, not just for them, for our community."
Local television news footage showed investigators digging on Wednesday beneath a sunshade behind Valenzuela's single-story home, which is in a rural area. It is also close to where the couple's car was found.
Careccia, a 44-year-old pilot, and his accountant wife, 42, had been married for about a year.
Their disappearance triggered a widespread search, with volunteers combing the area and sheriff's deputies going door to door quizzing residents.
On Tuesday, Babeu had said foul play was suspected, but did not elaborate on why investigators had reached that conclusion.
(Reporting by David Schwartz; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Sandra Maler)
