Glenn Estes was 16 when his body was found on the morning of July 6, 1990, in a water tank in a remote desert area outside Tucson. He had multiple gunshot wounds to the head and chest and severe machete injuries to his neck and upper body; defensive wounds indicate he tried to fight back and was conscious for at least part of the assault.

Investigators quickly identified two suspects, Claude Eric Maturana and Stephen Ballard. A receipt with Maturana’s name and signature was recovered at the scene. Maturana and Ballard were detained the same evening after Glenn’s mother reported him missing. Maturana’s account shifted during questioning: he eventually admitted being present in the desert and helping dispose of the body but denied shooting Glenn, claiming Ballard acted alone. An inmate later testified Maturana had boasted about the killing. At trial, a jury convicted Claude Eric Maturana of first-degree premeditated murder and he was sentenced to death on February 26, 1992.