PHOENIX (AZ Family) — A would-be gang member will spend decades behind bars for killing two people last year.

On Wednesday, Maricopa attorney Rachel Mitchell announced that Timothy Moses Bernal, 27, was sentenced to 48.75 years in prison for the 2023 shooting deaths of Chad Muñoz and Austen Mole.

“Ridding our streets of gang activity is what our Gang Office prosecutors look for every day here at MCAO,” Mitchell said. “When we imprison those who kill with no regard for human life, we are doing what I promised: keeping all communities safe.”

Bernal pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and violation of probation.

Mitchell said that in May 2023, Bernal shot and killed Muñoz, a former member of the Mexican Mafia who was in a “bad reputation,” to become a member of the gang. He then told others to dispose of the body.

While investigating, authorities discovered that Bernal was connected to a 2023 shooting, where he shot and killed Mole after a dispute over a gun deal. Mole’s body was found at the bottom of a canal.

Mitchell says Bernal committed both murders while on parole for aggravated assault in 2015.

A booking photo for Bernal was not immediately available.

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