The confrontation erupted after Alberto Ontiveros Sanchez addressed the court about the 2022 killing of Army veteran David Navidad-Parra.
PHOENIX, AZ — An Arizona man was arrested after authorities say he attacked the man convicted of killing his son-in-law during an emotional sentencing hearing in Maricopa County Superior Court, disrupting proceedings before deputies brought the courtroom under control.
Alberto Ontiveros Sanchez, 55, had just spoken to the court about his son-in-law, David Navidad-Parra, when he returned toward the gallery and then moved toward defendant Abel Uribe at the defense table, according to court records and video of the hearing. Authorities said Sanchez struck Uribe several times while Uribe was restrained. The confrontation forced the court to pause the hearing and clear most people from the courtroom.
Sanchez’s attorney, Christian Lueders, later told a judge that his client was highly emotional after delivering his remarks. Lueders said Sanchez saw Uribe laughing and snickering after the statement and reacted. Sanchez was taken into custody and appeared before a judge hours later. The judge ordered him released on his own recognizance while making clear that violence could not be tolerated inside a courtroom.
Sanchez was booked on multiple allegations, including aggravated assault. ABC15 reported Friday that the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office had not yet received a charging submittal. Because prosecutors from that office were present during the courtroom confrontation, the office said the Gila County Attorney’s Office would handle any potential prosecution arising from the incident.
The confrontation came during the conclusion of a murder case that began nearly four years earlier. Phoenix police said officers found 27-year-old Navidad-Parra with a gunshot wound in west Phoenix on Dec. 16, 2022. Firefighters pronounced him dead at the scene. Officers learned that another call had been made about a missing man who had been providing a test drive during a private vehicle sale and determined that the missing man was Navidad-Parra.
Police said detectives identified Uribe as a suspect the next day and took him into custody. He was initially booked on first-degree murder and kidnapping counts. Investigators also connected a vehicle found burning in Glendale to the homicide investigation. Navidad-Parra, a U.S. Army veteran, had been on military leave when he was killed.
Uribe, 33, reached a plea agreement in the case in August 2026. At this week’s hearing, relatives spoke about Navidad-Parra before the courtroom confrontation interrupted the proceedings. The sentencing later resumed, and Uribe apologized to the family before the judge imposed the terms of the plea agreement.
Under the agreement, Uribe received life in prison with the possibility of release after 25 years on the murder count, followed by a prison term for kidnapping. The agreement allowed a kidnapping sentence ranging from 17 to 20 years, and the judge imposed the maximum 20-year term.
Sanchez was released following his initial court appearance. Any prosecution stemming from the courtroom incident remains separate from Uribe’s murder case, which proceeded to sentencing despite the interruption.
Author note: Last updated September 25, 2026.