Catch Him If You Can

When a career courthouse scam artist joins forces with a top Arizona criminal defense attorney, it ain't pretty

A A A Comments By Paul Rubin Thursday, Aug 12 2004

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He brings up ex-partner Craig Mehrens, reminding Owens that Mehrens had told him to "get that son of a bitch out of here."

Thinnes tells Owens that his children asked him, "`Why don't you just kill him?' I'm not going to do that. I want [you] to live out [your] miserable life. I have absolutely no use for you anymore. Your whole life is a lie. You'll never, ever go the straight way -- you can't."

Robert Shawn Owens, in all his glory.

Jackie Mercandetti

Petra Cano sold her home on the cheap to raise money for Owens.

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For once, Owens hardly gets a word in.

Within weeks, Thinnes and Owens became enmeshed in a civil lawsuit over how to partition their building. The ongoing litigation has been vicious.

Prominent members of the Valley's legal community are nervously wondering what's going to happen after the AG's Office assesses its case against Bob Owens.

Tom Thinnes says he expects Owens will tell investigators, if he does talk, "that I put him up to this crap. But I didn't. He's a criminal all on his own."

E-mail paul.rubin@newtimes.com, or call 602-229-8433.