Arrest Made in 2013 Killing of Phoenix Security Guard

Phoenix police announced on November 9 that Joe Gerardo, 43, had been arrested in connection with the killing of Jeffrey Bellemare, a 59-year-old security guard. Gerardo was taken into custody in Globe on November 3 and booked into a Maricopa County jail. He is accused of first-degree murder.

Bellemare was shot and killed at about 1:30 a.m. on November 29, 2013, while working at an apartment complex in Phoenix’s Maryvale area. He was unarmed and in uniform. The complex was near 55th Avenue and Indian School Road.

Police said detectives received new information about the case this year, leading cold-case investigators to identify Gerardo as a suspect. Phoenix Police Sgt. John Buchanan said homicide detectives had pursued numerous leads over the years. Police have not detailed the new information or identified a possible motive.

Bellemare’s family had said they believed he was targeted. His wife, Karan Bellemare, said in 2023 that witnesses heard someone make a remark to him before he was shot. The family had celebrated Thanksgiving the day before Bellemare was killed; he left for work before dessert.