Highlights
- Mahrion Alexio Mendonca, 28, was sentenced to 30 years in prison for hammer attacks on four homeless people in Phoenix.
- A 74-year-old victim died days after the Sept. 29, 2025, attack; three survivors face permanent injuries, one now wheelchair-bound and unable to speak.
- Mendonca pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder and three counts of aggravated assault causing serious physical injury.
- Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said the brutality of the crime was difficult to overstate.
Mahrion Alexio Mendonca, 28, was sentenced to 30 years in prison Tuesday for beating four homeless people in the head with a hammer as they slept in downtown Phoenix, killing one of them, the Maricopa County Attorney's Office announced.
Prosecutors say Mendonca carried out two attacks in the fall of 2025, both near Central Avenue and Portland Street, north of Roosevelt Street. On Sept. 29, 2025, he attacked two victims, one of whom was asleep on a sidewalk. Two days later, on Oct. 1, 2025, he attacked two more people as they slept. According to prosecutors, Mendonca circled the block before selecting his victims.
One of the victims, a 74-year-old man, died in the hospital days after the first attack. The three survivors suffered permanent injuries; one is now in a wheelchair and unable to speak.
Mendonca pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder and three counts of aggravated assault causing serious physical injury. FOX 10 Phoenix and 12News both reported that Mendonca was arrested days after the second attack and initially faced first-degree murder charges. He will serve his sentence in the Arizona State Prison.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in a statement that the victims "were sleeping and did nothing to provoke this violence. They were not looking for a confrontation." She added that three surviving victims "were left with physical and psychological injuries they will have to live with for the rest of their lives."
Mendonca is scheduled to serve his sentence at the Arizona State Prison.
Sources
Every factual claim in this article traces to one of the sources below. See how we work for the editorial process.
- AZ Family (3TV/CBS5) retrieved 20/10/2026 23:01
- Fox 10 Phoenix retrieved 20/10/2026 23:01
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 20/10/2026 23:01. Every claim traces to a source.
