MESA, Ariz. – READER/VIEWER DISCRETION: This story discusses sexual abuse and graphic details about a murder.
The warmth of Claudia Lucero was felt by everyone she loved throughout her short life, from birth through her early teens.
By 14, she had become a vibrant personality—a popular freshman at Westwood High School in Mesa who enjoyed dancing, fashion, and makeup.
Yet, above all, she was dedicated to her family: her single mother, JoAnn Lucero, and her three brothers, Ricky, Mark, and Jacob.
“It destroys me to know that I will never get another letter or hear her say ‘I love you Mom or Mommy,'” JoAnn said. “If I could go back in time, I would have made better choices, but I can’t and now I have to live with that pain and guilt for the rest of my life.”
A Mother & Best Friend:
“My name is Pamela. I was one of Claudia’s best friends. I met her when we were in fourth grade,” said Pamela Jimenez, Claudia’s best friend. “She just made everyone feel comfortable. She was the life of the party. Always making people laugh. Her laugh was super infectious. She was such a kind soul. To this day, I haven’t met someone who’s so unique, how she was and so kind and vibrant, full of life and family oriented.”
Jimenez added, “I don’t talk to no one. Not my best friend at the time or right now. I don’t talk to her about it fully. I don’t talk to my mom about it. I just keep it to myself because there’s too many things in my head going on.”
Claudia’s mother, JoAnn Lucero, declined to do an on-camera interview but agreed to let her voice be recorded.
“She was very caring, thoughtful. Always had a smile on her face,” JoAnn said.
Dec. 5, 2013:
Claudia was last seen by her family around 6:30 a.m. on Dec. 5, 2013, getting ready for school. She never showed up.
“She was supposed to meet up with the friend after school. The friend had called me and told me that she never showed up,” JoAnn said.
The front door to the Lucero apartment was locked. There was no sign of a break-in, and Claudia’s belongings were still there.
“I drove around looking for her, calling friends, family, so I decided to wait a little while to see, you know, maybe she’ll pop up at home. She didn’t. So, I called the cops, waited for them to come, and they had called in. I had reported her as a runaway because I thought, you know, a couple of things were missing. I thought she had ran away,” JoAnn said.
Jimenez said, “And when she called me, and she told me that, I thought it was weird because whenever something would happen and Claudia didn’t, you know, she would come to me, and she would be like, ‘Can I stay with you at your house?’”
“And that morning, I had told her ‘I love you. I’ll see you later.’ Because I always tell my kids, you know, before bed, or before I would go to work, I would always say, ‘I love you’ and that’s what I told her,” JoAnn recalled.
Dec. 6, 2013:
The 911 call transcript reporting Claudia’s body:
Dispatch: “911 emergency.”
Caller: “Hi, um, we have an emergency. I think we saw a dead body in the dumpster.”
Dispatch: “OK, what’s the address?”
Caller: “860 East Brown Road.”
JoAnn said, “There was something on the news about finding a body. And then when I got to the apartment with the boys, the detective had told the boys that they had found her deceased.”
Mesa Police identified the body as belonging to 14-year-old Claudia Lucero.
“And that’s when her mom told me that she was no longer with us. And I just started wailing, like at the top of my lungs. And I fell to the floor and her brother tried to console me … It was very, very hard. And the pain doesn’t go away, and it never will. But. She just didn’t deserve that,” Jimenez said.
Mesa Police said two women discovered the body while dumpster diving for cans. One of the women said she was standing inside the dumpster when she felt something strange beneath her feet.
‘There was a large Tupperware container’
“There’s very few people in the world that did what I did for my career. But like I say, I feel like it was the most important thing I ever did in my life,” said Farrel Swope, a retired death investigator with the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office.
“We pulled up in here, me and my partner, and then while this was going on, there was one detective inside the dumpster and there were a couple of crime scene specialists. They had all this stuff they were pulling out, it was all laid out right here,” Swope said. “There was a large Tupperware container. There were a bunch of personal belongings that they believed had been taken from the scene. So, they had that stuff out there. And then there was a detective inside the dumpster processing stuff when I got there.”
Claudia’s body was located two miles away from where she lived. The community was shaken, as classmates worried about the crime.
Farrel Swope, a retired death investigator with the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office
Arrested:
“The suspect, when he dumped the body in the dumpster, he pulled the trunk liner out of his car and threw that in there with the body. Well, the liner had a tag on it which identified what kind of car it came out of,” Swope said.
On Dec. 6, 2013, Alex Madrid was arrested by Mesa Police on an unrelated case – a probation violation. At the time, the 31-year-old was a person of interest in Claudia’s murder before leading officers on a short car chase.
Through a search warrant, police learned that his trunk was missing the gray liner that had been discovered in the dumpster. Madrid refused to interview with detectives and asked for an attorney.
Four days later, Mesa Police announced his arrest.
Madrid was behind bars on suspicion of sexually assaulting and killing Claudia, and disposing of her body in a dumpster. Madrid was the ex-boyfriend of JoAnn Lucero. He was often around the family, and there were red flags.
Photo of the crime scene in Mesa, Arizona. Courtesy of the Mesa Police Department
The ex-boyfriend with a criminal past
“He had told me that he had feelings for an ex of his still. So that’s why he couldn’t be there or be with me. And he came and got his things, and he left,” JoAnn said.
Madrid’s criminal history was lengthy; he had been in and out of prison since 2000. His convictions ranged from burglary to theft to aggravated harassment.
He had just been released from prison in summer 2013 before getting into a relationship with JoAnn.
In Claudia’s case, Madrid was booked on charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping, sexual conduct with a minor, second-degree burglary, abandonment or concealment of a dead body, and unlawful flight from a law enforcement vehicle.
Madrid said during a court appearance following his arrest, “I have a great job. I work my butt off. I have children to take care of. All my ties are here in Arizona. There’s no reason to believe I would not show up to court. I have no failure to appears. I’ve always shown up to court despite how much time I was facing, despite any of the things that were going on in my past. I’ve always stood up and took responsibility for whatever was going on.”
Searching for Answers:
Looking back at Claudia’s case, many questions linger. In journalism, we don’t always get the answers, but we never stop searching. Beyond the headlines and the arrest — Why Claudia? What signs were missed?
At the Mesa Police Department, FOX 10 Investigator Justin Lum had a chance to review the police report on her murder. Doctors said that Claudia had been strangled to death, probably by means of ligature.
“They found her school ID in the dumpster. And they showed me some pictures of her Facebook page. The issue was, at the time, she was wrapped in a quilt, which was over her head or like a comforter-style blanket, which was over her head and her face. You couldn’t see it. It was secured with, I believe it was a leather belt that was secured around her neck, so you couldn’t actually see her face,” Swope said.
Inside the container, police found a brown purse, school ID, pink sweats, purple underwear, socks and T-shirts. Evidence showed that Claudia was sexually assaulted, but there were no signs of defense wounds.
She was listed as a first-time runaway, despite never running away.
“These are difficult cases for all of us. It brings a community out in support of a family. It makes us all think and worry about our own, and it is difficult for a police department to release all information as it may compromise the case,” said former Mesa Police Chief Frank Milstead in 2013, following Madrid’s arrest.
The dumpster was crucial, being one day away from being emptied.
“If that dumpster were to get picked up, Claudia could have been a missing person forever,” Swope said.
‘Game over for Alex Madrid’
Police obtained DNA samples from Madrid, and a right middle fingerprint on a garbage bag linked to Claudia’s body was collected. A forensic examiner verified the match.
“Once the exam was completed, and they submitted the DNA samples that they collected from her body within a matter of days, the results came back, and it was game over for Alex Madrid,” Swope said.
Madrid’s phone signal registered to a cell tower in the vicinity of where Claudia was found in the dumpster. Before his arrest, Madrid texted with JoAnn.
A transcript of the Dec. 6, 2013, texts from Madrid to JoAnn:
Madrid: “Did you guys get into a fight?”
Madrid: “Did she fight with Ricky or Mark???”
Madrid: “Well, I’m sure she’ll come home when she gets over whatever she is mad about, I used to run away all the time. Ask my mom I would take off for a long time until I got homesick then I would come home.”
Madrid: “Just call her in as a runaway, the cops will look for her too.”
‘Please don’t tell anyone’
Claudia confided in friends that she was afraid of him.
Friend: “What’s the matter girly?”
Claudia: “Please don’t tell anyone. I woke up to my moms boyfriend next too me & my hand in his pants ;’( I’m so scared right now.”
Friend: “Claudia he is trying to rape you!”
Claudia: “I don’t know I need to call my mom but he’s still here I’m waiting for him too leave.”
Claudia: “I’m so terrified & traumatized right now.”
Claudia: “Its cause my moms boyfriend scares me because of what he does. & I miss my brother to death cause he’s the only one that could protect me.”
‘I didn’t see anything’
“I didn’t see anything, you know, and I was always working, and I was tired. I didn’t pay attention to what was going on. And, you know, that’s in part why I feel the way I do, you know,” JoAnn said.
“I remember telling her vividly, like, ‘I don’t care. I have to tell my mom. I have to. I have to tell my mom.’ And she would just beg and plead with me not to. And at the time as well, I was also being molested. So, when she told me, ‘Please don’t tell anyone,’ I felt for her because I also didn’t want to tell anyone. Even though I knew it was wrong, I listened to her. But that’s one of my biggest regrets to this day,” Jimenez said.
Court records in 2008 revealed a case of aggravated harassment by Madrid. He kidnapped an ex-girlfriend and kept her with him for seven days, threatening to kill her family if she left. When she did get out, she had bruises on her arms and legs.
A Waiting Game:
Madrid’s trial was supposed to begin in August 2014. Prosecutors would seek the death penalty, but it took another decade for Madrid to stand trial.
When asked about the difficulty of lengthy trials for victims’ families, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said, “When we sit down with the family and say we’re considering seeking the death penalty, to me, that’s a contract with the family. You’re saying to them, ‘This is going to be a long time process, and please, you know, hang in there with us.’ It’s so emotional for them.”
JoAnn said, “It’s been horrible, you know, because I never got the chance to really grieve the loss of my daughter. Every year there was something new that would pop up. And, you know, we thought, ‘OK, this year’s going to be the year it’s going to happen.’ And then you get that phone call like, ‘No, it’s not going to happen. It’s pushed out.’ And that would happen every year. And, you know, it was heartbreaking because that’s a long 11 years that it took to finally get justice. You know, I feel like in my heart it should have been done a lot sooner. But having to relive it every year was it’s painful, you know, It’s painful.”
“I just felt like with the kind of case it was, it was so concrete, so solid, everything was in place that it should have been pretty simple,” Swope said.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell
‘It was on my mind heavily’
In Arizona, death penalty cases require aggravating circumstances to be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
“Well, aggravating circumstance, an example would be somebody’s criminal history or whether they committed other serious offenses at the same time. So, for example, if two people are killed versus one person. Another example would be if the victim was made to suffer, they suffered. They knew that they were going to die,” Mitchell said.
“And you will find that there is no other appropriate verdict in this case, but guilty,” a prosecutor said Aug. 22, 2024, during the opening remarks of the trial.
“It was on my mind heavily, like, ‘am I going to bawl my eyes out?’ Like I was scared. I was nervous to see him. But the moment I saw him; I was just full of rage again. And I fought everything in my body not to attack him, not to scream at him, just full of rage,” Jimenez said.
The trial lasted 27 days.
For Claudia’s loved ones, it was traumatic and mentally exhausting to be reminded of horrific details. Prosecutors presented the case, arguing that the evidence of semen found on Claudia matched a DNA sample from Madrid.
“It’s heartbreaking. All of it is tragic. But, you know, I guess maybe because of my background as a sex crimes prosecutor and a child crimes prosecutor, obviously, when it’s a child or young person who their life is cut so short and in such a horrific way, obviously, that resonates,” Mitchell said.
Guilty
On Oct. 3, 2024, a jury found Alex Madrid guilty on all counts against him. The penalty phase followed to decide if Madrid would be sentenced to death.
“You know, it’s not a situation where it’s a joyous event or anything like that. It’s a somber event. It feels right. It feels like justice has been achieved. But, I mean, what we wouldn’t give, what the family wouldn’t give for this never to have gotten to this point. It feels like the right resolution, but it’s not anything to celebrate,” Mitchell said.
“I want you to look at that picture of a sweet, adorable little boy and consider how that child ended up being the killer and, quite frankly, an asshole who you’ve been dealing with throughout this trial. Because killers and assholes aren’t born that way. They’re the product of their environment; they’re the product of their life experiences,” the defense said, breaking down Madrid’s trauma, brain damage and a rough childhood.
At eight years old, he witnessed his uncle shot and killed in front of him. His lawyer said he had been abused and neglected in the foster care system and suffered from mental illness and PTSD.
The purpose was to provide mitigating reasons for the jury to choose a life sentence rather than death, but prosecutors countered and victims gave impact statements.
Swope said, “There’s people waiting, a family waiting, for some kind of justice here. And this has taken a really long time. So, you were hoping, you know, for their sake that this would be over someday, you know, and now it finally is.”
“This was also in this situation, a 14-year-old girl whose life was cut short, who will never know, graduating from high school, who will never know the decision to go to college or what profession or being walked down the aisle,” Mitchell said.
Sentenced
On Jan. 16, 2025, the court clerk read the sentencing verdict: “We the jury duly empaneled and sworn in the above-entitled action upon our oaths unanimously find that the defendant should be sentenced to death, signed by the foreperson juror #8.”
Madrid was sentenced to death but was given the chance to speak to the court and to Claudia’s family.
“I just wanna thank you guys. I know I thought you were gonna go back there, take 10 minutes, come to your decision, and it shows me that at least you guys thought about what this was. I know it probably wasn’t easy on any of you guys. JoAnn, I’m sorry. Mark, Ricky, Jacob I’m sorry. I hope you find it in your heart to forgive me one day,” Madrid said.
“I really want him to suffer. I don’t know. It’s hard for me to say. I’m happy he got the death penalty. I’m happy he’s going to suffer. I hope he doesn’t get put down for many, many, many years. So, he’s just waiting till the day he dies, and he’ll suffer till then,” Jimenez said.
Madrid is serving his sentence in the Rincon Unit of the Arizona State Prison Complex in Tucson. He is one of 107 inmates on death row.
Life After Claudia:
What does justice truly look like? How does it feel? It’s never black or white when family and friends are still broken after a death sentence.
“I’ll never forgive him. I’ll never forgive myself because I’ll always live with that regret. I could have done something. I could have tried harder. I could have used my voice. I could have fought for her harder. So, no, all the pain will never go away … I don’t think I’ll ever feel better about it,” Jimenez said.
Claudia was laid to rest at the Queen of Heaven Catholic Cemetery in Mesa.
“I just wanted it to be known how my daughter was and who she was, and she didn’t deserve what she got, what he did. And I just talked about her life, you know, her brothers, how their lives had been destroyed as well as mine. You know, having to go through all that. This was their sister. They loved her. Their only sister. And I wanted just everybody to know who my daughter was,” JoAnn said.
“At the time, my daughter was about the same age as Claudia. So, it definitely hit home for me. And it just to see somebody’s child thrown away like a piece of garbage,” Swope said.
Queen of Heaven Catholic Cemetery
‘I have to move on with myself’
“She loved makeup. And at that time, you know, YouTube had just started. And now as an adult, looking back, I know for a fact that she would have been a YouTuber or an influencer,” Jimenez said.
“And all I have left of her is memories and photos, you know, And I have to move on with myself and live without her now. And that breaks my heart,” JoAnn said.
The long wait for justice comes with pain, and the saying “time heals all wounds” is not always true for everyone, but the quote on Claudia’s headstone makes this point: “Maybe it’s not about the happy ending. Maybe it’s about the story.”
What you can do:
Resources for sexual abuse victims:
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