Former Michigan Couple Convicted In 2016 Slayings Of In Phoenix Area

PHOENIX (AP) - A former Michigan man and his wife have been convicted in the 2016 slayings of two women during a burglary in the Phoenix suburb of Surprise.

Maricopa County Superior Court officials say a jury Thursday found both Montez Wright and Tichina Shepard guilty on two counts of first-degree murder and related charges.

Sentencings are scheduled for April 26.

Authorities say 70-year-old Barbara Leslie and 75-year-old Ruth Schwed were found fatally shot in Leslie's Surprise home on Feb. 8, 2016.

Schwed was a friend of Leslie and was visiting from Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Authorities say Wright and Shepard moved to Arizona from Southfield, Michigan in January 2016.

Andrew Lauro of Goodyear pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and burglary and was sentenced to two life prison terms in 2017.

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