Somerton man accused of murdering barber sentenced to 20 years

Friday afternoon 34-year-old Joshua Cota pled guilty to one count of second degree murder and was given 20 years in prison.

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Joshua Cota was found guilty of killing 28-year-old Leo Melendez almost three years ago.

Despite the 20 year sentence, Melendez's family is not happy with the final result, believing the crime deserves more punishment.

"I don't think the outcome was fair…I don't think that Joshua deserves a second chance to be with his final, especially for Leo's kids who are not to blame for any of this and didn't deserve to have that dad ripped away like that," said the mother of Leo's son Belen Torres.

However, during his sentencing on Friday, Cota made a statement to the judge, his family, and Leo's as well.

"I am very sorry at the moment in time. I didn't realize the total impact of my actions, but now it's the only thing I think about. my heart breaks every time I hear Leo's mom cry, or his little brother talk about his PTSD," said Cota.

Melendez's mother, Edith Martinez, heard the statement, but was not moved.

"To be honest, I didn't feel he was sincere. I felt those words were coming from his lawyer," said Martinez.

Commissioner 1 Judge Claudia Gonzalez, the Superior Court judge on the case, also had something to say about Leo's family’s statements made in court.

"Leo's family is right. It's not fair. It's not fair that you get to have birthdays. It's not fair that you get to see your kids in the future. It's not fair that you might get to one day be with them," said Gonzalez.

Included in Cota's sentence is credit for over 900 days for time already served.