TUCSON, AZ — On June 30, the Pima County Attorney’s Office (PCAO) said Julio Aguirre was charged in connection with holding seven people at gunpoint after he broke into homes. While he was trying to steal a car, they allege that he shot and killed Ricky E. Miller, Sr.
Aguirre was taken to the hospital for his own injuries. PCAO says he is an undocumented migrant. Pima County Attorney Laura Conover said he was supposed to be taken to the Pima County Jail but was instead taken into custody by the federal government at a federal detention center in Florence.
Conover said the U.S. Attorney’s Office had already agreed with PCAO that Aguirre would be taken to the Pima County Jail.
“It can be incredibly hard to get the person back and to proceed,” Conover said. “It contradicts the normal cooperation we have always enjoyed up until last week.”
Aguirre, PCAO said, is reportedly undocumented and was arrested more than ten times from 2007 to 2013 for immigration related crimes. They say he was deported in 2013.
“Even though they took custody of him unexpectedly, they were still telling us we could have him for hearings until last night,” Conover said.
Her office is reviewing the investigation. She said she’s pursuing first-degree murder and six other charges, including assault with a deadly weapon.
The U.S. Attorney's Office is charging Aguirre with the carjacking attempt, use and discharge of a firearm, and being an alien in possession of a firearm.
However, Conover said the federal government told her he’s only going to be at an initial appearance at the state court.
“It’s hard to articulate my thoughts on that. It’s hard to articulate decades of experience in here and their shock in hearing that,” Conover said.
The victims who were held at gunpoint, Conover said, aren’t going to be able to testify in court because of the way the federal government is handling the case.
“I’m going to stand up for our local people. Grief is not to be exploited for political gain,” she said.
In a statement from Miller’s son, Ricky Eugene Miller Jr., he said:
“I said to the detective more than once, ‘Don’t you let him go to the feds. We might not see him again. He could just get deported. My dad deserves justice first.'”
Conover said they are willing to take the federal government to court over the way they handled the case.
“This kind of obstruction of justice was never advertised, was never warned to any of us that this was going to be part of this immigration policy,” Conover said.
