KINGMAN — A man convicted in a Kingman homicide that occurred 18 years ago had 35 years shaved off his prison punishment during a June 10 hearing in Kingman. But Edwardo Serrato, 55, won’t be getting out anytime soon as he is still working on a 100-year prison sentence.
The case against Serrato began on Christmas day in 2007 when deputies located a burning pickup truck in Kingman.
The vehicle was traced to a nearby home in the 4900 block of Irving Street where Anna Hammond, 70, was found unconscious. Her dog was dead, there were signs of attempted arson, some of her possessions were missing and Hammond died of her injuries.
Investigation led to Serrato who was living across the street from the victim at the time of her murder. Serrato was serving prison time for unrelated convictions in New Mexico when he was indicted in 2018 for the Hammond home crimes.
He completed that sentence before he was transported to Mohave County and convicted at trial in 2023 of second-degree murder, burglary, theft, two arson related counts and theft of means of transportation.
The Arizona Supreme Court found fault with the arson of an occupied structure conviction associated with the pickup truck. Only Serrato was present when the vehicle was torched and the high court ruled that someone other than a defendant must be present to constitute occupancy of a structure.
The Supreme Court vacated the conviction and sent the case back to Mohave County for reconsideration.
Prosecutor Jacob Cote and defense attorney Randall Craig told Judge Billy Sipe that neither was interested in another trial for the arson count in question. Cote ultimately decided that Serrato’s 100-year punishment guaranteed life long confinement and that additional prosecution is unnecessary.
Cote, expressing some reluctance, moved to dismiss the arson count. “There’s no need for further litigation, so the state makes that motion,” Cote said.
Sipe granted the motion, noting it was the cleanest way to respond to the Supreme Court ruling.
