Criminal Sentencing and Punishment

James Drorbaugh, Child-Porn Defendant Facing Four to Six Years in Prison, Says Others Responsible for Illegal Downloads

James Drorbaugh describes every computer user's worst nightmare: While he was away or inattentive, an unscrupulous, perverted acquaintance downloaded hundreds of disgusting images and videos of child pornography, resulting in a raid of Drorbaugh's home and, ultimately, a pending prison sentence of ... More >>

Remembering Phoenix Bassist Kevin Pate

Kevin Pate, Phoenix Music Veteran, Dead at 54

On Monday night, Kevin Pate -- a valued member of the Phoenix music community -- was fighting for his life in a hospital in Yuma, where he was serving a four-year jail sentence for DUI and violating parole. Misinformation was spreading across online social networks that he'd passed on, but ever the ... More >>

Corrupt Pima Sheriff's Deputy Sentenced for Aiding Smugglers

A judge sentenced a former Pima County Sheriff's deputy for his role in ripping off drug smugglers, attempting to distribute marijuana, and aiding a drug trafficking organization.  Francisco Jimenez pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years in prison for conspiring to commit offenses again ... More >>

Joseluis Marquez Sentenced to Life in Prison for 2010 Murder of ASU Student Kyleigh Sousa

Joseluis Marquez was sentenced to life in prison, plus a few extra years, for the 2010 robbery and murder of 21-year-old Arizona State University student Kyleigh Sousa.Sousa was dragged by a car in an attempted robbery of her purse in an IHOP parking lot just south of the University's Tempe campus o ... More >>

Marion Patterson III Sentenced to 17 Years for Role in Slaying of ASU Senior Zachary Marco

Marion Patterson III, the accomplice of the man who shot and killed Arizona State University senior Zachary Marco, was sentenced today to 17 years in prison. Marco, 21, was robbed of his laptop in October 2010 by Patterson and another local gang-banger, Louis Harper, who wielded a gun. Rather than ... More >>

Louis Harper Earns Life in Prison for 2010 Murder of ASU Student Zachary Marco

Louis Eugene Harper was sentenced yesterday to life in prison for the 2010 robbery and murder of Arizona State University student Zachary Marco.Harper, 21, will be eligible for parole after 25 years, but Harper also earned an extra 15 years in prison for armed robbery, and those sentences will run c ... More >>

Brian Bizzell, Ex-Teacher Caught Arranging "Quickie" With Student, Gets Jail Time

​Brian Bizzell -- a former band teacher at Estrella Foothills High School in Goodyear -- has earned himself the title of "sex offender" for life, and was sentenced to a year in jail for his sexual relationship with one of his students.Because the 17-year-old student lost her cell phone, another st ... More >>

Michael Salman: Committing Crimes, or Victim of Religious Persecution?

See also: Michael Salman Wants to Build a Church in His Backyard See also: Michael Salman Is Not in Jail for Having Bible Studies in His HomeSee also: Michael Salman Might Get More Jail TimeIt looks like people are still buying the religious-persecution story from pastor Michael Salman, who's curren ... More >>

Dale Hausner, One of Valley's Infamous "Serial Shooters," Apparently Wants To Die ASAP

See Also: Dale Hausner, One of Phoenix's Infamous "Serial Shooters" in 2005-06, To Remain On Death Row Dale Hausner, part of the "Serial Shooter" team that killed and maimed numerous Valley citizens (and animals) before their 2006 capture, wants to be executed as soon as possible. At least that' ... More >>

Joe Arpaio Turns a Blind Eye to Jailhouse Justice

Hells Angel Kevin Augustiniak Gets 23 Years Up the River for 2001 Slaying of Cynthia Garcia

​Kevin J. Augustiniak, one of the Hells Angels charged in the 2001 murder of Mesa resident Cynthia Garcia, was sentenced yesterday to 23.5 years in prison.Augustiniak pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in October, nearly eight years after his 2003 indictment.Sentencing for second-degree murd ... More >>

Poster Child For Capital Punishment Advocates James Wallace Leaves Death Row

James Granvil Wallace, a 62-year-old murderer from Tucson who has been on death row for more than a quarter-century, now will spend the rest of his life in prison after a highly controversial Arizona Supreme Court ruling. ​The court's unanimous reasoning for allowing Wallace to escape exec ... More >>

Mesa Perv Who Videotaped Himself Molesting 1-Year-Old and Others Gets 35 Years in the Pen

​A Mesa pervert who was already behind bars for sexually abusing a 5-year-old boy in January, 2011, then charged again in April for sexually abusing a 1-year-old and others -- and videotaping it -- was sentenced yesterday to at least 35 years in prison.Brandon K. Jones originally was a ... More >>

Judd Herberger Sentenced to Four Months in Prison for Felony DUI

​Judd Herberger, son of the late Valley philanthropists, was sentenced today to four months in state prison for a felony DUI he received last year in Scottsdale. The 70-year-old businessman had been driving drunk despite the fact that his driver's license had been revoked after his extreme DUI co ... More >>

Money Pit: Andy Thomas’ Death-Penalty-Laden Years as Maricopa County Attorney

Do Arizona's Executions Need to Be Carried Out in a "More Timely Manner"?

Robert Moorman, who sat on Arizona's death row for nearly three decades, was executed yesterday for chopping up his adoptive mother.Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne responded by saying there was "no rational reason" for it to take that long."We have been working hard to help reform a system in whi ... More >>

Robert Moorman Executed For Chopping Up His Adoptive Mother in 1984

​Robert Moorman, who sat on Arizona's death row for nearly three decades, was executed today at the state prison in Florence.Moorman, 63, was originally in prison for a kidnapping conviction out of Coconino County in 1972.During that prison stint, Moorman was granted a 72-hour "compassionate furlo ... More >>

Tom Horne: "There Is No Rational Reason" For Taking So Long to Execute Robert Moorman

​Attorney General Tom Horne acknowledges "[j]ustice was carried out" today against Brian Moorman, who was executed this morning for chopping up his adoptive mother.He's also wondering why exactly it took until 2012 to execute a guy who hacked up mom in 1984.As we've previously noted, Arizona spent ... More >>

Roger Garfield Released From Prison and Granted New Trial Based on Change in Self-Defense Law; Former Antiques Dealer Shot Unarmed Homeless Man

Roger Garfield, the former antiques dealer who shot and killed an unarmed homeless man in 2006, has been released from prison and granted a new trial based on a change in self-defense laws. As we explained in our March 11, 2010 article, Shoot to Kill, the prosecution of Garfield for the 2006 shooti ... More >>

Is 15 Years in the Joint Enough For Scott Bass, Dad Who Locked 14-Year-Old Daughter in Bathroom For Months?

MCSOFifteen years for Scott Bass?​Yesterday, Scott Bass was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to kidnapping and child abuse charges for locking his 14-year-old daughter in a bathroom for more than two months.Per his plea deal, Bass faced up to 17 years in prison -- and New Time ... More >>

Execution Warrant for Robert Moorman, Arizona's Longest-Serving Death Row Inmate, Could Be Issued Today

​The Arizona Supreme Court today will consider whether to issue an execution warrant for a man convicted of murdering his adoptive mother back in 1984. After murdering her, he chopped her body up into several pieces, and scattered them in dumpsters near the Florence Prison -- where he was an inmat ... More >>

Take a Chilling Look Inside the Baseline Killer Case

Jeffrey Graybill -- Arizona Man Who Posed as Fertility Doc to Molest Grown Men -- Gets Prison Time, Probation for Life

Jeffery Graybill​An Arizona man was sentenced to prison time this morning after pleading guilty to charges that he posed as a fertility doctor in order to molest grown men.Jeffrey Graybill, who used the name "Doctor Richardson" to practice faux-medicine, was sentenced in Maricopa County Superior C ... More >>

Should Baseline Killer Mark Goudeau Expect a Date With an Executioner's Needle?

Baseline Killer Mark Goudeau is a prime candidate for the death penalty.​Regardless of your opinion of the death penalty, it exists because of guys like convicted Baseline Killer Mark Goudeau.Goudeau was convicted yesterday of 67 serious felonies -- nine of which were murder raps -- stemming from ... More >>

Chronic Drug Use and Childhood Abuse (and Crappy Lawyers) Wins Death Row Inmate New Trial Or Life in Prison

Arizona Department of CorrectionsSteven James​The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has tossed out the death sentence of an Arizona death row inmate who was sentenced to die for the brutal 1981 murder of a man he targeted for being gay.Inmate Steven Craig James, 53, who's been on death row for nearly 2 ... More >>

A Respected State Prison Officer Quits Over Dangerous Conditions for Inmates and Guards

AG Tom Horne on Upcoming Execution of Kid-Killing Rapist Richard Stokley: Hurry Up

Arizona Department of CorrectionsRichard Stokley​A Federal appeals court today upheld the death sentence for kid-killing rapist Richard Stokley. No execution date has been set, but Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne doesn't want to see Stokley's date with death delayed any further."The date for St ... More >>

Death Row `Last Meals' May Becoming Thing of The Past (Not Executions)

We wrote a little story back for this paper in the Dark Ages (before, yikes, the Internet!) about the last meals that Arizona's death row inmates order in advance should their time ever come.   This pup was not eaten by a death row inmate. ​It was kind of a humorous piece that f ... More >>

Feedback from the Issue of Thursday, September 15th, 2011

Why Did the Arizona Department of Corrections Put a Mentally Ill Man in a Cell With a Convicted Killer?

A Former Jehovah's Witness Elder Who Sexually Abused a Teenager Gets Only Six Months

Thomas Paul West to be Executed Within the Hour for 1987 Murder

AZ DOCThomas West is scheduled to die in less than an hour​For the fifth time since October, Arizona is set to execute a convicted murderer. Like many before him, Thomas Paul West has been on Death Row for over 20 years.West is scheduled to die -- barring a last-minute reprieve -- at 11 a.m.West, ... More >>

Thomas Paul West, Condemned Inmate on Death Row for Nearly 23 Years, Begs for Mercy Before Tuesday Execution

Arizona Department of CorrectionsThomas Paul West​Thomas Paul West, 52, has been on death row since the Reagan administration. He's scheduled to be put to death on Tuesday, but is now seeking the same last-minute appeals many condemned inmates seek before their state-ordered date with death.West i ... More >>

Morning Poll: How Long is Too Long to Be on Death Row?

Huffington PostIf you kill someone in Arizona, there's a chance you'll be strapped to a table similar to this one -- 20 years later.​New Times took a look yesterday at Arizona's 130 death row inmates awaiting execution. Turns out, nearly 20 percent (24 of 130) have been rotting away/cheating court ... More >>

Arizona Court Upholds Death Sentence for James Styers, One of 24 Inmates on Death Row for Over 20 Years

Arizona Department of Corrections James Styers​The Arizona Supreme Court has again upheld the death sentence of a man who murdered his girlfriend's 4-year-old son more than 20 years ago.Styers is one of 24 inmates who's been on Arizona's death row for two decades or more.In a 4-1 ruling tod ... More >>

Nearly 20 Percent of Arizona's Condemned Inmates Have Been Sitting on Death Row for at Least 20 Years -- on the Taxpayers' Dime

Huffington PostDon't murder anyone in Arizona, or there's a good chance you'll end up here...20 years later.​Kid-killing child molester Richard Bible was executed this morning after sitting on death row -- on the taxpayers' dime -- for more than 20 years.But Bible's not the only convicted murderer ... More >>

Immigrants Who Fight Deportation Are Packed Into Federal Gulags for Months or Years Before Their Cases Are Heard

Jim Repetto, Ocean Spray Cranberry Thief Once Thought to be Lost at Sea, Gets Five Years in Prison

Jim Repetto's alive and well -- and heading to prison.​Ocean Spray Cranberries thief James Repetto probably wishes he was still "lost at sea."Repetto was in a Massachusettes federal court this morning where he was sentenced to five years in prison for stealing more than $1 million from the c ... More >>

Fernando Woody, Fetus-Killing Father, Gets 10 Years in Prison for Death of Unborn Baby

​The United States Attorney's Office announced today that a man who killed his unborn baby has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for voluntary manslaughter.Fernando Woody, 28, of Fort Defiance pleaded guilty to the crime in March.

Cronkite News Service Story on Tough Sentencing Laws Underplayed Criminal History of Ex-Prisoner

​ Arizona's sentencing laws are so tough that a woman recently served two years in prison for her first DUI because of a previous conviction for possession of marijuana. The disturbing news can be found in a May 23 article by a journalism student about the need for&nbs ... More >>

DMX Reportedly Granted Early Release from Prison

One of DMX's many mug shots.​Troubled hip-hop star DMX, whom we profiled just after he was sentenced to a year in the clink last December, will be released on July 1, according to the website hiphopwired.com. DMX (real name: Earl Simmons) was on the comeback trail last year when he was sentenced ... More >>

Daniel Gukeisen, Ex-Attorney Who Fatally Stabbed ASU Student, Sentenced to Five Years in the Joint

Daniel Gukeisen​Daniel Gukeisen, a former attorney who was convicted of fatally stabbing Arizona State University student Garrett Hohn, was sentenced to five years in prison this morning after being found guilty of manslaughter last month.He actually showed up for court this time.When the verdict ... More >>

Donald Beaty, Kid-Killing Rapist, Will be Put to Death Next Week, Judge Reiterates

Donald Beaty will be put to death on May 25.​An Arizona judge has refused to block the death sentence of a man convicted of the 1984 rape and murder of 13-year-old Christy Ann Fornoff.Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Janet Barton ruled today that Donald Beaty's claims that he didn't have effec ... More >>

Maricopa County Attorney's Office Explains Light Sentence for Jehovah's Witness Elder Convicted of Sex Crimes

​David Clark Nelson, a former Jehovah's Witness elder, pleaded guilty to charges that in 1980 he played strip poker and had oral sex with a teenage boy. He was sentenced this morning to six months in county jail and three years probation. If that seems like a light sentence, that's because it is. ... More >>

Kiddy Porn Peddler Cries at Sentencing; Gets 15 Years in Prison

www.icanhascheezeberger.com​A Peoria man was sentenced today for his role in an international kiddy porn racket, and when the judge read his sentence, he cried like a baby.David Dean, a 43-year-old trucker from Peoria, was sentenced today to 15 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised probatio ... More >>

Donald Beaty, Kid-Killing Rapist, Wants Death Sentence Overturned

Donald Edward Beaty​Kid-killing rapist Donald Beaty is scheduled to be put to death on May 25 at the state prison in Florence for the 1984 murder and rape of 13-year-old Christy Ann Fornoff. Let the last-minute appeals commence.Beaty's attorneys filed a motion yesterday to have his death sentence ... More >>

Shawna Forde, Kid-Killing Minutewoman, Sentenced to 65 Years in Prison -- in Addition to Death Sentence

If Shawna Forde avoids the executioner's needle, she still has at least 65 years in prison to look forward to.​Assuming Shawna Forde, the kid-killing minutewoman sentenced to death for the 2009 murders of an Arivaca man and his daughter, avoids her date with death, she won't be getting out of pris ... More >>

Avondale Man Who Traded Tattoo For Sex With Teen Gets More Than Seven Years in Joint

Juan Lara's tattoo parlor will be moving from his Avondale trailer to an Arizona state prison.​An amateur Avondale tattoo artist who traded a tattoo for sex with a teenage girl was sentenced to prison today after pleading guilty to two counts of attempted child prostitution and two counts of unlaw ... More >>

Execution Date Set for Arizona Killer More Than 25 Years After Being Convicted of Murdering 13-Year-Old Girl

Arizona Department of Corrections Donald Edward Beaty​An execution date finally has been set for an Arizona killer convicted of murdering a 13-year-old girl as she collected money for her paper route at a Tempe apartment complex in 1984.After nearly 26 years on Death Row -- o ... More >>