PHOENIX — A 39-year-old man was sentenced to life in prison on Friday for shooting and killing another motorist during a road rage incident in South Phoenix in September 2020. Steven Orona was found guilty of first-degree murder and drive-by shooting for the attack that claimed the life of 40-year-old Larry Milligan, officials from the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office announced.
The deadly confrontation unfolded on Seventh Avenue near Interstate 17 when Orona pulled alongside Milligan’s vehicle. Surveillance footage captured the moment he shot through the open window, striking Milligan in the head before fleeing the scene.
Detectives later located Orona’s SUV in Buckeye, concealed on a property owned by his girlfriend’s family. Authorities noted that Orona had attempted to alter the vehicle’s appearance by painting the rims black. During the investigation, Yessenia Garcia Rocha, who was in the passenger seat at the time of the shooting, admitted that they had planned to hide the SUV.
Rocha was subsequently sentenced to one year of probation after pleading guilty to lesser charges related to tampering with evidence.
At the sentencing hearing, Milligan’s wife shared a poignant message about the impact of her husband’s death on their family. She described how their long-standing relationship was shattered in an instant and how she now shoulders the responsibility of both parenting roles for their three children. “The burden of grief weighs heavily on my heart,” she told the court. “I must navigate the challenges of daily life while comforting them in grief.”
She emphasized her late husband’s role as a loving father who brought joy and laughter into their home. County Attorney Rachell Mitchell expressed her outrage, stating, “An exchange that lasted 48 seconds destroyed a family. We see road rage shootings like this far too often, and anyone who resorts to this level of violence out of anger belongs in prison.”
This case highlights increasing concerns about road rage incidents across the country and serves as a reminder of the potential for deadly consequences stemming from uncontrolled anger on the road. As communities grapple with these troubling issues, officials hope that justice for Milligan will bring some measure of closure to his grieving family.