Man accused of killing his brother in deadly Yuma road rage pleads guilty

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) - The man accused of killing his brother in a deadly road rage incident that happened last year has pleaded guilty in court Friday.

Juan Figueroa, 20, pleaded guilty to one count of negligent homicide and one count of endangerment.

Javier Figueroa, 17, who was also known as Milo, was the victim who died in the incident, while Figueroa, was arrested and originally charged with first-degree murder.

A probable cause statement obtained by News 11 said the situation escalated into a physical altercation.

Figueroa claimed a 36-year-old man hit Milo in the face and then hit the man with his car, running over his brother in the process.

Joseph Figueroa, the father of Juan and Javier, has been vocal about reexamining the case. He spoke at a City Council meeting, asking the council to order an independent review.

"He would never purposely do that. I mean, accidents could happen, but I can't verify that or deny it until a third party tests that car, because I don't believe anything YPD says. I don't believe in anything anyone says," Joseph expressed.

Joseph also hoped his son would plead not guilty adding, "The desired outcome? That he's smart enough and that he wakes up and not guilty...there's nothing linking him to it. As far as I know, there's nothing."

Joseph said he wants to bring attention to his sons' case and is seeking transparency, accountability, and answers about the investigation into Milo's death.

"I'm here to find out how he passed away, how he got into the position where he was in to be in there," Joseph explained.

Joseph is also calling for a fair and impartial investigation. He believes there is more to the story that has not been released.

"And they still have yet to release the full report even though I filled out a motion like they wanted me to," Joseph remarked. "I filed a motion for everything and all evidence to be retested and I don't need the items...I just need them to be retested because I want a second opinion on it, and the autopsies didn't match, so if I have a lot of doubts, but they're saying I'm just a next of kin and they don't care."

News 11 spoke with Yuma Police Chief Thomas Garrity to better understand how the investigation was conducted, following online claims of a lack of transparency and a cover-up.

Chief Garrity expressed his condolences and said the investigation was thorough and ethical.

"The police department has put just as much work into it as if it were their own children to make sure that justice is done for everyone involved," Garrity said.

Online, some community members have claimed the 36-year-old man involved in the incident was a police informant and that the case was covered up because of it.

"I want to assure the community that that individual is not and has not been an informant or a paid informant by the Yuma Police Department, and even if he was, this case would have been investigated to the full extent that we can," Garitty added.

For Figueroa, Thursday's guilty pleas do not resolve the questions he still has about how his son died.

He said he will continue seeking an independent review, hoping for answers as he grieves the loss of one son and faces the consequences for another.

Figueroa will be back in court next month for his hearing.