By Jon Johnson
SAFFORD – A man who authorities say was under the influence of alcohol when he caused a fatal collision in Solomon in May 2024 has been sentenced to 18 years in prison.
Kenneth McQueen Murdock, 49, of Mesa, previously accepted a plea agreement and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder – a class-1 felony with a sentencing range between 10 to 25 years, as well as aggravated assault – a class-3 felony, and an amended count of DUI.
The plea stipulated that Murdock serve 14 years on the second-degree murder count and an additional consecutive 4 years for the aggravated assault charge. Attorney Rebecca Johnson represented Murdock, and Graham County Deputy County Attorney Robert Standage prosecuted the case. On April 29, Murdock stood before Graham County Superior Court Judge Pro Tem Travis W. Ragland and was sentenced to prison.
The charges stem from a fatal collision on the morning of May 25, 2024, that took the life of Mary Helen Ocon, 53, of Safford, and severely injured her passenger, Celeste Peru Pasley, of Safford, including breaking her leg.
The women were westbound on U.S. Highway 70 in an orange 2004 Ford Mustang at about 6:30 a.m. when an eastbound silver 2005 Chevrolet Colorado pickup driven by Murdock crossed over the centerline and collided head-on with them at about milepost 345.
Ocon was declared deceased at the scene, while Pasley and Murdock were both initially taken to Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center before being transferred to Banner-University Medical Center Tucson.
Safford Fire had to extricate Murdock from the truck, and upon doing so, authorities located numerous open and unopened Budweiser beer cans.
Additionally, Murdock was spotted driving erratically seven miles before the collision, and an attempt was made to locate his truck. A witness advised seeing Murdock travel in the two-way center lane of Highway 70 for roughly a mile before returning to the eastbound lanes.
The witness called 911 to report the impaired driver and continued to follow. He then reported seeing Murdock “continuously swerve” and completely cross over from the eastbound shoulder to the westbound shoulder as the truck left Safford city limits eastbound. He said Murdock struck a sign on the westbound shoulder of the roadway about one-quarter mile from the collision. The witness then saw the Colorado collide head-on with the Mustang.
An initial blood draw at Mt. Graham Regional Medical Center showed a blood-alcohol concentration of .201. DPS test samples taken hour(s) later showed BACs of .137 and .112, according to a DPS report.
At Banner-University Medical Center Tucson, Murdock allegedly told medical staff that he typically drinks six to eight beers a day and that he sometimes has shakes from alcohol withdrawal. He said he was going from Mesa to visit a friend in Alamogordo, New Mexico, but only remembered driving and being put into an ambulance. Murdock reportedly suffered numerous broken bones in the collision, including both legs.
