Arizona man accused of killing his aunt as a boy found guilty

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The Arizona man accused of killing his aunt when he was 14 learned his fate Wednesday.

After deliberating for about four hours, a jury found Ares Adle, now 20, guilty of second-degree murder.

It could have been first or second degree murder or manslaughter.

Now the jury must decide whether there are aggravating circumstances in the case.

On the night of February 1, 2019, Adle stabbed his aunt, 42-year-old Tonya Harper, at her home near Alma School and Chandler Heights, south of Chandler.

Adle admitted to the murder on the witness stand Monday and said he felt threatened by a comment from Harper.

Prosecutors said he made a detailed plan for the murder before the stabbing that included about a dozen phone lines.

He also hid family members' cellphones so no one could call for help quickly enough for Harper to survive, prosecutors said.

The knife was stored in the bedroom closet in the bedroom closet.

Harper's last words were, “I think it was Ares,” prosecutors said.

However, prosecutors were unable to prove a motive. Adle's defense team claimed that if prosecutors couldn't prove motive, they couldn't prove intent, so he shouldn't be convicted of first-degree murder.

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