PCSD explains how murder suspect was released under false name before fatal shooting

TUCSON, Arizona (13 News) – On Monday, 26-year-old Crist Defrenchi was taken into custody in connection with a fatal shooting and charged with first-degree murder.

13 News was able to reveal that Defrenchi had slipped through the net just a few weeks earlier and was on the loose.

Defrenchi has a long criminal record and was arrested two weeks ago for three serious crimes.

He gave authorities a false name, which was not properly verified, and claimed he was Joel Lopez.

“There should have been a point of identification right there, but it was missed,” said Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos. “He was registered under the false name he gave instead of John Doe, but that was just the first mistake.”

Defrenchi is a convicted felon with a long criminal record, but Joel Lopez had no criminal record at all, so the court released him that same day.

Court documents do not mention that bail has been set. Defrenchi was arrested again this week for a fatal shooting.

“TPD caught him, but this time on a murder warrant, and registered him under his real name. At that point, we realized we had missed two steps,” Nanos said.

These two steps involved fingerprint identification, ensuring that the fingerprints obtained were verified in the national database upon admission and upon release from prison.

“We missed both the booking and the release dates, so we're going to look into it,” Nanos said.

Nanos said it is the PCSD's responsibility to inform the judge and the court system about this unverified name, and the work to correct it must be done internally.

“This is not the district attorneys, the defense attorneys, the courts or the arresting authorities, in this case the Tucson Police Department,” Nanos said. “This is our fault. We screwed up. We're going to pick it up and make it right.”

Be sure to subscribe to 13 News’ YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@13newskold

All rights reserved.