Yuma murder suspect sentenced in court

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) - A Yuma man previously accused in a 2024 murder case has now been sentenced on several related charges.

A jury found Fernando Malta guilty Tuesday on multiple counts, including attempted arson of a structure and tampering with physical evidence.

Jurors found him not guilty on the victim-related charges tied to the murder of Eric Cruz, whose body was found near a canal in San Luis in June of 2024.

In court, the victim's family members were crying as the verdicts were read.

Malta was sentenced to 1.5 years for attempted arson, along with two additional one year sentences for evidence tampering, which will run consecutively.

He also received four years of probation for misconduct involving weapons.

In a separate drug case, Malta was sentenced to nine years in prison, with credit for time already served.