Phoenix man convicted in deaths of 2 people found buried in mom's backyard

A Phoenix man was convicted Tuesday in the killing of two people whose bodies later were found buried in his mother's backyard.

Alan Matthew Champagne was convicted in the deaths of Philmon Tapaha and Brandi Hoffner, whom landscapers found buried in a backyard near 14th Place and Osborn Road in March 2013.

Investigators believe Champagne buried them there in mid-2011.

A jury found him guilty of first- and second-degree murder, kidnapping and two counts of abandonment or concealment of a dead body.

Champagne's co-defendant and girlfriend, Elise Garcia, was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2016 in connection with the murders.

The bodies were found at a home were Champagne's mother had lived a short time before.

Court records said police received a tip in October 2011 about Champagne's possible involvement that summer in a double homicide at an apartment complex near 12th Street and Osborn Road. 

Upon arrival, investigators spoke to a maintenance man who told them he noticed a strong odor coming from Champagne's former apartment when he went to clean the unit. 

Court records said the man told police he had constructed a large box for Champagne, who said he needed to remove items from his mother's home because she was entering foreclosure. 

In July 2011, police stopped Champagne and Garcia as they were driving a car registered to someone else, finding Tapaha's Social Security card and Hoffner's purse inside. However, authorities did not immediately connect them to the killings.

Court records said it was that same month that Tapaha and Hoffner were reported missing, with investigators learning that Tapaha was the brother of Phillena Tapaha, with whom Champagne had two children.

“Phillena told detectives that Philmon learned Alan was cheating on her with another woman, and this may have caused him to be upset,” police reports said.

Champagne and Garcia were not arrested until March 2012, when a SWAT team confronted them in a standoff at his mother's house — the same one where the bodies later were found. They had refused to surrender on felony aggravated-assault warrants, police said. Champagne also was accused of firing a shot at SWAT officials.

Court documents said once the two were in jail on those charges, a former cellmate told police that Garcia told her she was in the apartment when Champagne killed a man and woman, later identified as Tapaha and Hoffner.

According to the court documents, Garcia said after using drugs, Champagne pointed a gun at their two houseguests to scare them. Tapaha was shot in the head. Garcia also told the cellmate she held Hoffner at gunpoint while Champagne briefly left, the court documents said.

She said Champagne returned and strangled Hoffner, according to the court documents.

A major break in the case came when a new owner began remodeling the home where Champagne’s mother used to live. The owner sent a landscaper to work on the property, and the worker found the bodies of Tapaha and Hoffner.

Champagne has a previous record. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison for the 1991 murder of Ricky Marquez at a party in central Phoenix at which two rival street gangs fought, according to court documents.

He was released in June 2005.

The aggravation stage of Champagne's trial will begin on June 26. 

Garcia had two prior misdemeanor convictions as an adult, one for assault and one for an alcohol-related incident, court documents showed, and began using illegal drugs at age 9.