He Wanted a Rare Mustang. When the Seller Backed Out, the Buyer Came Back with a Gun

An Arizona man has received two consecutive life sentences for murdering a couple in 2023 who owned a car that he wanted to purchase, one day after their transaction fell through.

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office announced the sentencing last Friday, detailing how investigators were able to tie Alexander Lee Smith to the November 2023 double homicide.

According to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, the 21-year-old man “forced his way” into the home of Walter Mitchell and Susie Ephrem and shot both of them. Ephrem was able to call 911 but later died from her wounds at a local hospital, while Mitchell died at the scene.

The couple’s 8-year-old grandson was also home during the deadly break-in but wasn’t harmed, according to officials.

Prosecutors say Smith met the couple after becoming interested in purchasing Mitchell’s Ford Shelby GT500, a high-performance version of a Mustang. Smith was set to buy the luxury car, but Mitchell called off the sale after the 21-year-old’s wire transfer did not go through, according to authorities. That night, Mitchell sold the car to a local car dealership, authorities said.

The next day, Smith broke into the couple’s home and fatally shot them both.

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Authorities were still investigating the scene when Smith showed up the next day, telling officers that he worked for a car collector who had purchased the car from Mitchell. Officers turned Smith away, but two weeks later, the 21-year-old man showed up again at the Peoria police station and inquired about the car.

The attorney’s office said officers realized Smith’s story didn’t match up with what he’d told detectives at the scene two weeks earlier, and they grew suspicious. GPS records from Smith’s phone placed him near the scene on the night of the killings, while detectives were also able to match his fingerprints to the front door handle of the couple’s home.

Smith was arrested in November 2024 and later pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder, as well as one count of first-degree burglary.

“This was an act driven by greed; even after taking two lives, this defendant continued to lie to police to try to get the car,” Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in a statement last week. “Thanks to Peoria Police and MCAO prosecutors, his story unraveled, and he will spend the rest of his life facing the consequences of his choices.”