Local Killer Found Guilty of Second-Degree Murder

TUCSON, Ariz. – America’s diner is open to anyone – including murderers. 

James Daniel Candelaria, 39 of 2255 W. Orange Grove Road, shot and killed Prentice Wayne Reid on Nov. 29, 2018 by the dumpsters behind Denny’s on the northeast corner of Oracle Road and River Road.

According to Pima County Superior Court records, Candelaria, his wife, Sophia, and their two daughters, ages 4 and 14, arrived at the Circle K gas station opposite the Denny’s just before 6:30 on the night of the 29th. When the couple went inside to pay for gas, a homeless man approached Candelaria’s vehicle with a lit cigarette in hand. His name was Prentice Wayne Reid.

According to Candelaria, Reid attempted to put out the cigarette in the pump nozzle, angering Candelaria. He confronted Reid, who eventually left the argument and crossed the road northbound to Denny’s.

According to Pima County Superior Court records, surveillance cameras at both Circle K and Denny’s show Candelaria’s vehicle going back and forth from the gas station to the restaurant to the Red Lobster diagonal from the Circle K. Footage shows Reid quickly walking from the Red Lobster to the Denny’s parking lot with Candelaria on his heels just after 7:30 p.m.

Candelaria had parked his car in the Red Lobster lot and followed Reid around the back of Denny’s, where he pulled out a pistol and ordered Reid to the ground. 

Reid initially heeded the request, but as he turned to get up again, Candelaria shot him once in the back. The gunshot did not immediately kill Reid, but Candelaria made no attempt to provide aid. Instead he ran into the restaurant and asked patrons and workers to call 911.

At the time that Candelaria entered Denny’s, witnesses said he had no signs of trauma; no scrapes, cuts, blood or bruises. 

Candelaria exited Denny’s and ran back across the street to his family and vehicle. When he returned to the scene several minutes later, his shirt was ripped, and his face and torso were cut and bleeding. He laid a boxcutter next to Reid, who was still alive but unconscious.

Pima County Sheriff’s deputies arrived at approximately 7:42 p.m. Candelaria was handcuffed and claimed he acted in self-defense.

Deputy Michael Turner performed CPR on Reid until his death at 8:22 p.m.

Candelaria told Deputy Turner and medics that the victim had caused his injuries with the boxcutter found at the scene. The weapon was later tested, and Sophia Candelaria’s DNA was found on the handle.

Detective Miguel Flores, the lead investigator on the case, interviewed Ms. Thompson, Sophia Candelaria’s mother, the day after the shooting. She told him that Candelaria harassed his wife throughout their marriage and that he has a short temper, according to Pima County Superior Court records. 

The Arizona Rules of Evidence states that claims such as these give jury members “undue tendency to suggest decision on an improper basis, commonly… an emotional one.” Thompson’s interview was withheld from the jury as it was deemed “irrelevant evidence” under this rule.

Candelaria has been incarcerated in the Pima County Adult Detention Complex on the southwest side of Tucson since his arrest in 2018. He first appeared in Pima County Superior Court in downtown Tucson on December 14, 2018, when he pled not guilty to the charge of first-degree murder. 

Candelaria’s trial began on Wednesday, February 19, 2020 in front of Judge James E. Marner and a 12-member jury. The trial lasted five days in court. He was represented by Christopher J. Lynch, a Notre Dame graduate licensed in criminal defense for the past 35 years. David Houston was the Deputy County Attorney representing the State of Arizona.

The jury found Candelaria guilty of second-degree murder on Friday, February 28, 2020. The consequences of this Class 1 felony range from 10 to 25 years in prison with 16 years presumptive, according to Arizona Revised Statute 13-1104.

Tina Bare, Candelaria’s mother, cried when the verdict was announced.

“I don’t really know what’s going to happen,” she said with tears in her eyes. “But I guess it won’t be for his whole life.”

The difference between first and second-degree murder is premeditation. Had Candelaria been guilty of planning Reid’s death prior to the shooting, the first-degree charge would subject him to life in prison, or even the death penalty.

“The original charge claimed he followed the victim for an hour and 15 minutes,” Lynch said, Candelaria’s attorney. “The jury decided this wasn’t the case.”

After the verdict was returned, Wilma Standifer, Reid’s grandmother, took the stand to describe how the murder caused her emotional harm. Her testimony made up the aggravated factor, the second part of the trial presented to the jury.

“He didn’t meet any strangers,” Standifer said of her grandson. “He always was looking to help someone, and he was loved.”

Standifer went on to describe how she has had emotional distress and several lung infections since Reid’s death.

“I was very impacted, and still am by this,” she said to the jury. “It’s been a lot to deal with.”

After Standifer’s testimony, the jury deliberated for 15 minutes, then returned the verdict that the aggravated circumstances were proven. This means that it is at the judge’s discretion to add to Candelaria’s presumptive number of years in prison (only up to 25 years) at his sentencing.

Candelaria’ sentencing is set to occur on April 20, 2020 at the Pima County Superior Court.