Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced that 26-year-old Timothy Moses Bernal has been sentenced to 48.75 years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of First-Degree Murder, as well as for violating probation related to a previous aggravated assault conviction.
Bernal’s convictions stem from two murders in 2023. In May, he fatally shot Chad Munoz, a former Mexican Mafia member in “bad standing,” in an attempt to gain membership in the gang. Bernal then directed associates to dispose of both the body and the vehicle used in the murder. During the investigation, law enforcement uncovered Bernal’s role in another homicide months earlier: in February 2023, he killed Austen Mole following a gun deal dispute. Mole’s body was later recovered from a canal, weighted down with cinder blocks.
Both murders occurred while Bernal was on probation for a 2015 aggravated assault, leading to additional prison time in his sentence.
“Ridding our streets of gang activity is what our Gang Bureau prosecutors aim for every single day here at MCAO,” said County Attorney Rachel Mitchell. “When we imprison those who kill with no regard for human life, we’re doing what I’ve promised: keeping every community safe.”
