Yuma court hears closing arguments in Gabriel Taddei sentencing case

Gabriel Taddei’s case moved into its final phase Friday in Yuma Superior Court, where lawyers delivered closing arguments and the court heard impact statements before sentencing. Taddei, 25, was convicted last month of one count of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection with a shooting that injured a 29-year-old man.

The shooting happened in October 2024 near County 12th Street and East 40th Place in Yuma. The victim was taken to Onvida Health and treated for non-life-threatening injuries, giving the case a clear local footprint in a neighborhood that has already seen other weapons-related police activity. In that same broader stretch of west Yuma, the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office later described a separate October 28, 2024 incident at the 6300 block of W. County 12th 1/2 Street in which deputies said a 51-year-old man brandished a shotgun, pointed it toward deputies, and was shot before being transported to Onvida Health.

Friday’s hearing came after a retrial. The first trial ended in a mistrial when jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict after six days of deliberation. In the retrial, jurors returned a guilty verdict, leaving sentencing as the last major step before the case is closed in Yuma County Superior Court.

Taddei’s defense attorney, Joshua Tesoriero, continued to argue that his client acted in self-defense, even after the conviction. That left the sentencing hearing focused not only on punishment, but also on how the court weighs the competing versions of the shooting that have been presented over two trials.

Under Arizona law, aggravated assault can cover the use of a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument. For a dangerous Class 3 felony, the sentencing range runs from 5 years minimum to 7.5 years presumptive, up to 15 years maximum. That puts Taddei’s punishment in a range that could keep him in prison for years, depending on how the judge applies the law and the facts of the case.

Taddei is scheduled to return to court later in July for sentencing, where the judge will decide whether the punishment lands near the minimum, the presumptive term, or the maximum allowed under Arizona’s dangerous-offense statute.