Man who killed shoe repair owner Mesa sentenced to 25 years in prison

A man will likely spend the rest of his life in prison after pleading guilty murder of the owner of a shoe repair shop in Mesa in 2022.

Mesa Police responded to Lamb’s Shoe Repair near Main Street and Macdonald on December 6, 2022, after a customer found 58-year-old Jesus Fabian De La Rosa in a pool of his own blood with multiple gunshot wounds inside the business.

Court documents show De La Rosa reported his .380-caliber handgun had been stolen days before he was shot. Documents say investigators would later link the shooting to then-65-year-old Lynell Brosier, a person experiencing homelessness who allegedly allowed De La Rosa to use the restroom and charge his electric wheelchair.

Documents show De La Rosa’s cellphone was missing from the scene, and location data showed the phone was near a Central Arizona Shelter Services (CASS) shelter where Brosier often stayed. Surveillance cameras on Valley Metro Light Rail also showed Brosier’s bike routes to and from the business and shelter.

Documents say investigators believe Brosier stole De La Rosa’s firearm before returning to the business where he shot De La Rosa three times in the head at close range. Investigators have not found a clear motive behind the killing, given the previous ways in which De La Rosa assisted Brosier.

During the investigation, officers reviewed light rail surveillance video that showed a man matching the witness’ description getting off and onto the light rail at Country Club Drive and Main Street around the time of the shooting. When the man first got out, he had a cane. When he got back on, he no longer had the stick, police said. Officers said they found the cane at Lamb’s Shoe Repair.

Brosier was arrested on December 9, 2022 and found with De La Rosa’s gun on him. He was later booked into jail on suspicion of first-degree murder, armed robbery, misconduct with weapons, theft of a firearm and possession of stolen property.

Documents show Brosier had a long history of chronic and severe mental illness and had become estranged from his family members who had not seen or heard from him for the past seven to 10 years.

They added that during meetings with his defense council and mitigation specialist, Brosier sometimes made paranoid statements about people trying to get his information and sometimes randomly left meetings.

Records show Brosier accepted a plea deal on August 16, 2024, pleading guilty to one count of second-degree murder and one count of armed robbery. On September 26, 2024, Brosier was sentenced to 25 years for second-degree murder and 21 years for the concurrent armed robbery charge. He was credited with the 657 days he had already spent in prison.

Arizona Department of Corrections records show Brosier has been incarcerated at Lewis Prison in Buckeye as of September 30 and is scheduled to be released on December 3, 2047, when he would be 90.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Man who killed shoe repair owner Mesa sentenced to 25 years