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Thomas Draper charged with murder after shooting during drug deal in Phoenix

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Court documents say Thomas Draper, 40, allegedly shot Jason Sierra on Monday during a drug deal gone bad and then tried to destroy evidence linking him to the murder, according to Phoenix police arrest records.

Draper's file contains surveillance camera footage and digital evidence identifying him as the suspect responsible for the death of Sierra, 24, who was shot in the head outside an apartment complex near 43rd Street and McDowell Road, according to court documents filed by Phoenix police.

Police determined the shooting occurred in the parking lot of the Ocotillo Village Apartments, where they found Sierra suffering from a gunshot wound. He was taken to Valleywise Medical Center, where he died around 3:30 a.m., according to court documents.

Security camera footage reviewed by police showed a black Toyota 4Runner arriving at the scene and parking in front of the shooting. Sierra was then seen walking toward the vehicle and getting into the passenger seat, according to documents.

Documents indicate that a brief struggle allegedly occurred between the driver and Sierra before the victim was pushed from the vehicle and thrown to the ground. Authorities later found Sierra with a gunshot wound.

On Thursday, Phoenix police arrested Draper after their investigation linked a vehicle registered in his name to the Toyota seen on surveillance cameras at the scene. Draper was arrested at his home near McDowell Road and Grand Avenue, about 7 miles east of the crash scene, court documents show.

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Police also used data linked to Draper's phone number to locate him near the Toyota's location captured on surveillance cameras. According to the documents, Draper bent and broke his phone before his arrest.

According to police, Draper arrived at the scene of the shooting with his passenger window intact, but left the scene without the window, which was presumably broken in a manner consistent with gunfire.

Draper was reportedly seen with a cover over his passenger window in the days following the shooting.

After his arrest, Draper gave several conflicting accounts of events, initially claiming he had loaned his vehicle to someone named Jason, but later admitted to being present in the area.

Draper said he tried to buy crack from the victim, who allegedly pointed a gun at him and demanded money. Draper claimed he then knocked the gun away and pushed the victim out of the vehicle.

According to court documents, Draper denied hearing gunshots and said he was cleaning his vehicle after the incident, claiming he did not see any blood.

Draper was arrested and charged with first-degree murder and tampering with evidence, both of which are serious crimes.

Draper was held on $1,000,000 cash bail and is scheduled to appear in court again on August 22.

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