A 31-year-old man has been sentenced to life in prison followed by two consecutive 20-year terms in a 2020 murder-for-hire slaying at a Scottsdale home, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office announced.

Jose Antonio Beltran was found guilty in September of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder and burglary in the first degree, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said.

In December 2020, Beltran shot and killed a woman at a home near 90th Street and Sweetwater Avenue in Scottsdale. He also attempted to kill two other women who were inside the home when he and co-defendant Adrian Espinoza burglarized the home, according to an MCAO release.

“The evidence presented in trial proved that this was a conspiracy to commit murder for hire and to this day, the reasons behind the killing remain unknown,” the release stated.

During Beltran’s sentencing on Monday, one of the surviving victims spoke to the court and to Beltran directly.

“So, I am begging you as a mother, I am appealing to that goodness you have in your heart. If you would tell who sent you, you would change our lives, and you will reverse the damage that you did to us,” the victim said.

Espinoza also was found guilty of first-degree murder among other charges and sentenced to life in prison in April 2023.

“This family has been robbed of a lifetime with their loved one all at the hands of a callous individual,” Mitchell said.

“Our prosecutors worked tenaciously to bring this defendant to justice, which will keep him from hurting anyone else in the community.”

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