A 25-year-old Tucson woman who shot two people — one fatally — was sentenced to 19 1/2 years in prison Wednesday.
Pima County Superior Court Judge John Leonardo sentenced Tamara Maxwell to 16 years in prison for second-degree murder and 3 1/2 years for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Maxwell shot a man in the stomach on July 1, 2008, because there was some "bad blood" between them, said Deputy Pima County Attorney Mark Diebolt. The man survived.
Two days later Maxwell shot and killed Karina Gonzales.
Jurors were told that Maxwell shot Gonzales several times in the torso following a heated fight between Gonzales and a former girlfriend on July 2, 2008.
Maxwell's attorneys argued unsuccessfully that Maxwell killed Gonzales in self-defense.
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During her sentencing hearing Wednesday, defense attorney Brian Metcalf told the judge his client had a dysfunctional childhood and a history of mental health issues.
Diebolt said Maxwell has a long arrest history for violent offenses.
Gonzales’ father, Eddie, told Leonardo he no longer has a future and that he prays every night to join his daughter, a talented artist.
He asked Leonardo to send Maxwell away for as long as possible, because “who knows whose child she’ll take next.”
Maxwell told the judge she wishes she could take back her actions.
“I’m sorry it had to happen,” she said. “I wish it could have been different.”
Contact reporter Kim Smith at 573-4241 or kimsmith@azstarnet.com
