Criminal Trials

Jodi Arias Trial: The Jury Has Reached a Verdict

UPDATE: Jodi Arias Guilty of First-Degree Premeditated Murder, Jury FindsThe jury has reached a verdict in the murder trial of Jodi Arias.According to a spokesman for the Maricopa County Superior Court, the verdict will be read at 1:30 p.m.See also:-Jury Deciding Arias' Fate-Psycho Killer-Jodi Arias ... More >>

Psycho Killer: Jodi Arias' Kinky Death-Penalty Trial

Bill Montgomery Fails to Convict an Innocent Man

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

Overzealous Prosecutors, a Runaway Jury, and a Dead 5-Year-Old

Michael Crane, Shapiro/Gaudet Murder Suspect, Makes it To Court Without Causing A Scene

MCSOMichael Crane​Michael Crane -- who's facing first-degree murder charges for the deaths of Paradise Valley couple Glenna and Lawrence Shapiro, as well as Phoenix man Bruce Gaudet -- made it to his arraignment today without causing a scene.Crane was scheduled to be in court on Tuesday his arra ... More >>

Michael Crane, Shapiro/Gaudet Murder Suspect, "Refused" to Go to Court Today

​Michael Crane -- who's facing first-degree murder charges for the deaths of Paradise Valley couple Glenna and Lawrence Shapiro, as well as Phoenix man Bruce Gaudet -- "refused" to be transported to his court date today, according to a Maricopa County Superior Court spokesman.Crane was scheduled t ... More >>

Andrew Thomas' Logic "Absurd," Says State Bar Counsel in Final Closing Argument; Disbarment Recommended -- Again -- for Former Prosecutors Thomas and Lisa Aubuchon

Independent lawyers for the State Bar of Arizona again recommend disbarment for former Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas, referring to his arguments with words like "absurd."Thomas' former sidekick, Lisa Aubuchon, should also be stripped of her law license, says the 37-page reply (see below) to ... More >>

Take a Chilling Look Inside the Baseline Killer Case

Bryan Stewart, a.k.a. Rick Valentini, Convicted of Multiple Counts of Identity Theft -- Now for the Murder Trial

Bryan Stewart a.k.a. Rick Valentini​Rick Valentini -- a.k.a. Bryan Stewart was in a Maricopa County Superior Court this afternoon, where he was found guilty of 29 counts of forgery, four counts of identity theft, four counts of misconduct involving a weapon, two counts of money laundering, and one ... More >>

James Ray Guilty of Negligent Homicide; Manslaughter Charges Didn't Stick

James Ray was found guilty of negligent homicide. Manslaughter charges didn't stick.​"Spiritual warrior" James Ray was found guilty today of three counts of negligent homicide in the deaths of three people at a 2009 "self-help" retreat near Sedona, during which he guided dozens of people int ... More >>

David Morris Pleads Guilty to Charges He Turned Phoenix Home into Kiddie-Porn Studio

David Robert Morris​A Phoenix man accused of using his west Phoenix home to shoot kiddie-porn films pleaded guilty today in Maricopa County Superior Court.David Robert Morris was arrested in October and charged with 10 counts of sexual exploitation and seven counts of sexual conduct with a minor. ... More >>

Kid-Killing Minutewoman Shawna Forde's Accomplice Guilty on All Counts in Murders of Man and Child

Jason Eugene Bush​Kid-killing Minutewoman Shawna Forde's co-defendant, Jason Eugene Bush, was found guilty this morning in a Pima County Superior Court for the murders of an Arivaca man and his daughter in May 2009.In addition to the two first-degree murder convictions for the murders of Rau ... More >>

Arpaio's Deputy Claims a Slight, 50-Year-Old Latino Attacked Him

'Honor Killing' Case Goes To Jury As Murderous Dad Stays Mum

Faleh Almaleki's attorney had but three words to say when the Maricopa County Superior Court judge asked him to call his first witness late this morning. "The defense rests," assistant public defender Jeffrey Kirchler muttered. It meant that Almaleki, the 50-year-old Glendale man accused of mur ... More >>

Grinding Justice: Operation Streamline Costs Millions, Tramples the Constitution, Treats Migrants Like Cattle, and Doesn't Work

Man Accused of Beating Two Children to Death With Baseball Bat Found Incompetent

Joe Sauceda Gallegos​The man charged in the 2008 beating death of two Phoenix boys was found incompetent to stand trial today and will be sent to a mental health facilityJoe Sauceda Gallegos, 38, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder after he allegedly beat two young boys to death wit ... More >>

Phoenix Mom Sentenced in Murder of 4-Month-Old Son

Katherine Hatten​A Phoenix mom, who plead guilty to the second-degree murder of her 4-month-old son, was sentenced to decades in prison today in Maricopa County Superior Court.The Maricopa County Attorney's Office announced that 25-year-old Katherine Hatten got 37 years in prison for th ... More >>

Is Nothing Sacred?: Apparently Not in Joe Arpaio and Andrew Thomas’ Wacked Legal World

County Attorney's Office Should be Disqualified from Trying Cases, Defense Attorneys Say

Will Andrew Thomas be stopped from handling criminal cases, too? Some defense lawyers are working on it.​Earlier this year, the county took away the Maricopa County Attorney's Office ability to represent the board of supervisors -- setting up a separate "civil litigation" department that ans ... More >>

Arpaio's Office Blows Its Smear of Judge Gary Donahoe; Analysis of Sentencings Flawed

Judge Gary Donahoe, chief of the Maricopa County Superior Court's criminal section, routinely lets criminals off without prison time, yet jailed a detention officer doing his job. ​ That's the gist of a December 4 news release by the Sheriff's Office which cites six supposed examples of ... More >>

Detention Officers to Hold Nightly Candlelight Vigil for Jailed Comrade; Sickout Yesterday Delayed 143 Cases

Image: www.youtube.comAdam Stoddard​ Maricopa County detention officers plan to hold candlight vigils starting this evening to protest the jailing of a fellow officer who swiped papers from a defense attorney's file. The Web site for the Maricopa County Association of Detention Officers says ... More >>

Dr. Deception: Joseph Franzetti Dispenses $300 Psych Evaluations Like They’re Flu Shots, but the Reports Are Useless

Arpaio’s Busts of Illegals at Popular Valley Water Parks Are All Wet

Hate For Doug Grant: Despite Scant Evidence That Grant Killed His Wife, the Jury Convicted Him Anyhow

The Outcome of the "Serial Shooter" Case Seems Certain, While the Doug Grant Mormon Murder Trial Is Anything but That

Dramatic Testimony Heard In Mormon Murder Case

Jurors and a packed courtroom heard riveting, often heartbreaking, testimony today as the prosecution opened its first-degree murder case against former Phoenix Suns nutritionist Doug Grant. Actually, Jenna Stradling, who is alleged murder victim Faylene Grant's 18-year-old daughter, is on the st ... More >>

Andrew Thomas Ignores Evidence That Courtney Bisbee Was Wrongly Convicted of Child Molestation As Supporters Work to Free Her

Tim Nelson: "Alarming Increase in Acquittal Rates" During Andrew Thomas' Tenure as County Attorney (With Update from Thomas' Office)

Another stain on Andrew "Nifong" Thomas' record: The continued imprisonment of Courtney Bisbee.

Jurors convict Robert Ortloff in Kathleen Smith's murder

The Shoe Still Don't Fit, But...

Bombshell: The explosive backstory in the Robert Ortloff murder trial may be more fascinating than the case itself

SMACKDOWN! Judge Edward Burke bitchslaps Dennis Wilenchik & Andrew Thomas.

Persecution Complex

Prophet Warren Jeffs' conviction won't stop underage marriages among his followers, much less end polygamy

Judicial Blacklash

The County Attorney's Office declared war on a respected judge after he called a prosecutor's actions racist

The Practice

Trial begins for controversial abortionist

Courting Death

U.S. Supreme Court says don't short-change death clients

Off with their heads

Arizona's Juries are proving tougher than judges under a new murder sentencing system

Criminal With an Asterisk

Has ex-governor J. Fife Symington III gotten his just desserts?

Identity Crisis

Court committee considers keeping the names of jurors secret

Justice Delayed

Star prosecutor finds himself on the defensive over fast-track flap

The Final Straw

Brian Eftenoff's going to prison. He shouldn't have called his dead wife a coke whore.

The Fag Card

Gay convict claims judge's homophobia put him on Death Row

Docket Science

Civil suits take back seat to criminal cases in county's full court press

Feds Will Retry Symington on Criminal Counts, Sources Say

Silent Witness

The bombshell never exploded in the state's most-watched murder trial

That Would Be You, Mr. Chief Justice

Zlaket casts misguided stones in controversial rape case

Death of a Shopkeeper

Friends say controversial police sting contributed to store owner's demise

Flashes