After a nearly two-week trial and a day of deliberation, a Pima County jury has found Jack Upchurch, 42, guilty of murdering Paul Clifford.
The jury found Upchurch guilty Friday on all counts, including first-degree murder, aggravated robbery, kidnapping, vehicle theft, burglary, arson and evidence tampering.
Defendant Jack Upchurch in court on Thursday.
After being lured outside of his Redington area home by a supposedly stranded motorist at 11:30 p.m. on Dec. 23, 2024, Clifford was shot dead and set on fire. His daughter's truck, which he had driven out to give the strangers a jumpstart, was stolen.
Paul Clifford
As day began to break on Christmas Eve of 2024, Pima County sheriff's deputies discovered Clifford's burned body beside a smoldering GMC Sierra, which had been reported stolen the day before.
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His daughter's truck was later found at an apartment complex near West Prince Road and North Romero Road in Tucson.Â
Six days later, on Dec. 30, 2024, the Sheriff's Department tracked Upchurch and two accomplices, Wendy Scott and Elmer Smith, to a residence near East Benson Highway and South Country Club Road.
Scott, who was 16 at the time of the incident, and Smith, who was 19, received plea agreements in exchange for testifying against Upchurch.
Scott pleaded guilty to vehicle theft and evidence tampering. Smith pleaded guilty to burglary vehicle theft. The two initially faced first-degree murder charges.
Upchurch's sentencing hearing is set for Sept. 28.
