BREAKING NEWS

Teens accused of violent crime spree in

2020 sentenced to nearly 40 years in
prison
Chelsea Curtis
Arizona Republic
Published 3:29 p.m. MT Aug. 12, 2022 Updated 9:06 p.m. MT Aug. 12, 2022

Two Arizona teens accused of carrying out a violent crime spree across the Valley in
2020 were sentenced on Friday to nearly 40 years in prison. 

Corbin McNeil, 17, and James Quintero, 18, faced a combined 39 felony charges in
connection with the crime spree between June and Sept. 2020, which included the murders
of 27-year-old Matthew Meisner and 34-year-old Amber Patton. 

They both maintained they were innocent until May when they each accepted plea
agreements dismissing all but four of the charges against them. In total, they entered
into guilty pleas to one count of armed robbery, one count of kidnapping and two counts of
second-degree murder for Patton and Meisner's deaths. 

Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Geoffrey Fish handed down 38-year prison sentences
each to McNeil and Quintero on Friday. Their plea agreements allowed for a maximum 44-
year prison sentence. 

"Let me first address the next of kin and victims' families. ... Whatever number I impose does
not put a value on somebody's life and I need to make sure that everybody understands that,"
Fish said before announcing his sentence. 

Details of monthslong crime spree

Authorities across the Valley tied McNeil and Quintero to more than a dozen violent
incidents in 2020, including car thefts at gunpoint and three separate shooting deaths. 
McNeil was 15 and Quintero was 16 years old at the time, and both were on "intensive"
juvenile probation, meaning they were supposed to be closely monitored and on home
restriction, according to the Arizona Supreme Court website. 

In July 2020, police said they fatally shot Meisner near his apartment in Tempe after he
refused to give them his wallet and phone. Meisner's death led to a change in state law
allowing landlords to save a tenant's pet in the event of their untimely death. 

The teens were believed to be involved in the Aug. 2020 death of 30-year-old David Vasquez.
Mesa police said McNeil was seen on surveillance footage fatally shooting Vasquez in a hotel
parking lot after he approached the teen with a shotgun. Quintero was at the hotel at the time
of the shooting and they both fled, police said. 

The shooting was ultimately deemed self-defense and neither of the teens were charged in
connection with Vasquez's death. Their plea agreements also ban the Mesa Police
Department and Maricopa County Attorney's Office from ever charging them in the case. 

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Chandler police said the pai shot and killed Patton in Sept. 2020 after sneaking into her
garage behind her in an attempt to steal her car. Patton served nearly four years in the U.S.
Army, which included a tour to Iraq, her mom, Marilyn Suchla previously told The Arizona
Republic. 

It wasn't until Patton's murder that authorities were able to connect the series of violent
crimes to McNeil and Quintero. They were arrested separately on Sept. 22, 2020, and
charged as adults.

Quintero turned 18 in May and McNeil turns 18 in October. 

Reach criminal justice reporter at chelsea.curtis@arizonarepublic.com or at 480-262-1061.

Follow her on Twitter @curtis_chels. 

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