News

Morning Poll: Should 16-Year-Old Accused of Murdering Girlfriend's Mother Be Charged as Adult?

The Maricopa County Attorney's Office decided yesterday that it will try Braden Matthew Rockriver as an adult for allegedly murdering his 18-year-old girlfriend's mother earlier this week.

Rockriver's not exactly an adult, though -- he's 16.

According to Mesa police, Rockriver made plans to steal his father's gun and kill either himself, his girlfriend, or end both their lives in a murder/suicide. However, his girlfriend's mother, 42-year-old Denna Strebe, got in the way.

Rockriver, police say, broke into the Strebe's garage, waited for someone to open a door leading into the house, and then forced his way in when Denna Strebe opened the door.

After a brief scuffle, the gun went off. The bullet hit Strebe in the head, killing her.

Rockriver may be 16, but his alleged crime is pretty heinous -- as we mentioned, police say he planned to kill someone hours before he carried out his murderous plot. That's called premeditation.

See our story on Strebe's murder here.

If you ask us -- and County Attorney Bill Montgomery -- Rockriver fits the bill for a juvenile who should be tried as an adult. But we want to know what you think: should Rockriver be tried as an adult?

Cast your vote below.



KEEP PHOENIX NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started Phoenix New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix, and we'd like to keep it that way. With local media under siege, it's more important than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" program, allowing us to keep offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food and culture with no paywalls.
James King
Contact: James King

Latest Stories