Overview
- Phoenix police booked Fernando Gaitan into jail in mid-January 2026 on multiple felony counts tied to the case.
- Investigators say the charges include first-degree murder, burglary, kidnapping and aggravated assault.
- The July 31, 2014 break-in involved three masked intruders, at least two carrying long guns, who confronted Augustine Valenzuela.
- Valenzuela was beaten and stabbed during the attack, his family was held at gunpoint, and he later died at a hospital.
- Authorities have not disclosed where Gaitan was located at the time of arrest, and the status of the other two suspects remains unclear.