Man Gets 14 Years in Cartel Beheading in Arizona

PHOENIX May 8, 2013 (AP)

A man has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for his murder conviction in a 2010 beheading of a man in Arizona who police say had stolen drugs from a Mexican drug cartel.

Crisantos Moroyoqui-Yocupicio had pleaded no contest to second-degree murder in the death of 38-year-old Martin Alejandro Cota-Monroy at an apartment in the Phoenix suburb of Chandler.

He faced a punishment ranging from 10 to 16 years in prison. Prosecutors were seeking the maximum penalty.

Police believe the killing was intended to send a message that anyone who betrays the traffickers will get the same treatment.

The case has been cited as an extreme example of Mexican cartel violence spilling over the border.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/m...izona-19135273