3 arrested in murder of man found dead in Phoenix backyard

PHOENIX - Three people have been arrested after a man was found dead in the backyard of a south Phoenix home following an alleged armed robbery.

The backstory:

Phoenix police say at around 10 p.m. on Sept. 12, officers responded to a shots-fired call near Broadway Road and 19th Street where they found a car in the road surrounded by several shell casings.

The officers were then approached by two women who said they had been robbed by several unknown men. Additionally, a man they were with at the time of the alleged robbery left before officers arrived.

Police say the officers impounded the car and filed a robbery report.

Hours later:

At 2 a.m., police responded to the same area after a woman found her boyfriend dead in a backyard. 

"Responding officers contacted two females, who stated while searching the backyard, the females located the victim, Damarion Goins, who had been with them during the robbery and had been shot," officers said. 

Goins, 20, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Suspects arrested in Chandler, Phoenix

Dig deeper:

Investigators were able to identify the suspects as 18-year-old Joshua Jones and 19-year-old Terell Barnes. The third suspect is a 17-year-old.

On Sept. 15, Jones and the teenager were found at separate locations in Chandler and Phoenix and taken into custody. The next day, Barnes was also taken into custody.

"In addition, investigators recovered multiple items of evidence between the two locations that were suspected to have been used during the commission of the crimes," police said.

Suspects Jailed:

All three suspects were booked into jail. Jones and the teenager are accused of first-degree murder and armed robbery. Barnes is accused of first-degree murder and aggravated armed robbery.

Map of the robbery location and where Goins was found dead:

Crime and Public SafetySouth PhoenixNews