PHOENIX, AZ – Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced today that Manuel Carrasco Calderon has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison for his role in crimes committed after the murder of Bernardo Pantaleon. Upon release, he will also serve four years of supervised probation.
Details of the Case
On November 26, 2023, Bernardo Pantaleon was found murdered at Mountain View Park in Phoenix. Authorities arrested several members of the North Side 15th Avenue criminal street gang in connection with the killing.
Although Carrasco Calderon denied gang affiliation, prosecutors charged him with assisting the gang by mutilating Pantaleon’s body postmortem.
Charges and Conviction
In December 2023, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office indicted Carrasco Calderon on:
Assisting a Criminal Street Gang (Class Three Felony)
Dead Person-Improper Practice (Class Four Felony)
In January 2025, Carrasco Calderon pleaded guilty to both charges.
Other Defendants Still in Custody
Two other individuals, Leonardo Santiago and Jose David Rodriguez Soriano, remain in custody. They face charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder, among other offenses.
Authorities continue to investigate the full extent of the gang’s involvement in this case.
