A man was sentenced to natural life in prison Thursday for fatally stabbing a man and injuring his ex-girlfriend during a fight inside a Tucson home in 2017, according to Krisanne LoGalbo, a Pima County Superior Court spokeswoman.
James Murray Reaves III, 35, was convicted in August of first-degree murder, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and first-degree burglary stemming from the attack in the 2800 block of South Shiela Avenue, near South Kinney Road.
Natural life means there is no chance of future release.
On Jan. 9, 2017, Pima County Sheriff's deputies responding to reports of a stabbing found Damion Philips, 38, suffering from stab wounds and an injured 34-year-old woman, later identified as Reaves' ex-girlfriend, around 3 a.m., according to Daily Star archives.
Detectives learned Reaves broke into the home and got into a fight with Philips, during which Reaves pulled out a knife and stabbed him before fleeing the scene.
Philips was pronounced dead at a hospital a short time later. The woman was treated for minor injuries.
Reaves was on the run for two days before turning himself in, sheriff's officials said in 2017.
