Maricopa County Superior Court

Atheists Not Injured by Jan Brewer's Prayers, State Appeals Court Says

Atheists did not prove that Governor Jan Brewer's annual "Day of Prayer" proclamations caused them injury, a state appeals court says.The appeals court affirmed the Maricopa County Superior Court ruling dismissing the lawsuit, which was brought by the Freedom From Religion Foundation and other group ... More >>

Medical Marijuana Supported by Former Anti-Drug, Reagan-Appointed U.S. Attorney

On the list of people we'd probably never expect to come out in support of the Arizona Medical Marijuana Act, we'd probably put an anti-drug crusader U.S. Attorney who was appointed by President Ronald Reagan somewhere near the top of the list.However, we've seen that man, A. Melvin McDonald, all ov ... More >>

Maricopa County Mugshots of the Week: Party Time

Following in the footsteps of our sister papers of South Florida, Miami New Times and Broward-Palm Beach New Times, we bring you the weekly roundup of visitors to the desert's own Fourth Avenue Jail.Between being passed out, dressed up, inked up, or just plain messy, our alleged law-violators this w ... More >>

Michael Marin's Bizarre Courtroom Death To Be Explored By CNN's Anderson Cooper Tonight

See also: Burning Man: An Attorney Says He Escaped His Blazing Home Using Scuba Gear; Now He's Charged with Arson We were in New York City when word came via numerous texts from the Maricopa County Superior Court (Judge Bruce Cohen's courtroom) that Michael Marin had been convicted of burning down h ... More >>

Michael Marin, "Burning Man," Had Some Sort of "Medical Emergency" After Verdict Read

We're not at the Maricopa County Superior Court, but a court spokesman tells New Times that "Burning Man" Michael Marin collapsed after his guilty verdict was announced.The Arizona Republic's Michael Kiefer was in the courtroom, and is saying Marin had a seizure after the verdict was read -- as Mari ... More >>

Michael "Scuba Man" Marin Trial Ongoing In Downtown Phoenix

Been finishing a yarn for next week's paper this week, and didn't have much time to check out other stuff, including the ongoing Michael Marin arson trial at Maricopa County Superior Court.You probably will remember the quirky case if you read our paper, but here is the link to the original story, " ... 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 >>

Tyson Langley, 15-Year-Old Accused of Double Homicide, Pleads Not Guilty to Murder Charges

Peoria Police DepartmentTyson Langley​Tyson Langley, the 15-year-old accused of murdering two people at a Peoria smoke shop last month, was in Maricopa County Superior Court this morning where he pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder.Despite his young age, Langley's being charged ... More >>

Schizophrenic Mesa Man Accused of Sexually Assaulting Court Appointed Therapist

​A mentally ill Mesa man was arrested Friday after police say he sexually assaulted his court appointed therapist in her office.Robert Gene Hebner III has a history of substance abuse. He has multiple convictions for crimes like endangerment and marijuana possession, according to records on the Ma ... More >>

Tempe Mom Who Left 11-Month-Old Baby in Running Bathtub Gets Probation, Jail Time

​A Tempe woman who left her 11-month-old son in a running bathtub last year was in Maricopa County Superior Court this morning where she was sentenced to six months in jail and 10 years probation.Additionally, Summer Dawn Angelly, 23, was given a deferred six-month sentence.Angelly pleaded guilty ... More >>

Retired Arizona Public Officials Sue to Keep "Hundreds of Millions" in Pension Payouts Being Denied Because of New Law

Image: Ray SternColin Campbell, retired Maricopa County Superior Court judge, is representing a group of retired judges suing a state pension plan in an attempt to reverse a law that shrinks pensioners' cost-of-living adjustments.​ Retired judges are fighting a new law that reduces their pensi ... More >>

Jesus Busso Estopellan Pleads Not Guilty to Murdering ASU Pre-Med Student and Friend Over Drug Deal With "Jamaican"

Mesa Police DepartmentJesus Busso Estopellan admitted to murdering an ASU student and his friend last month.​Jesus Busso Estopellan, who admitted murdering an Arizona State University student and his friend earlier this month, was in Maricopa County Superior Court this morning where he pleade ... More >>

Thomas James Odom, 17, Found Guilty of Murdering his 15-Year-Old Girlfriend

Image: Facebook Thomas Odom​After a 10-day trial, Thomas Odom was found guilty of killing his 15-year-old girlfriend in April of last year.   Known as Will Longobardi in his former life as a teenager living just outside of Schenectady, New York, Odom -- once a resident of El Mirage -- ... More >>

Planned Parenthood Files Lawsuit Challenging Arizona's New Scare-Tactic Abortion Law

www.zazzle.com Most Arizona lawmakers sure don't.​Planned Parenthood announced today that it's filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of two abortion bills signed into law by Governor Jan Brewer earlier this year that make it more difficult for Arizona women to end a pregnancy.As ... More >>

Teenage Killer of Carneige, Local Hip-Hop Star, Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter

MCSO Kathryn Elizabeth Hetrick's booking photo.​Kathryn Elizabeth Hetrick, a teenage drunk driver responsible for the death of local hip-hop artist Abay Lattin last year, pleaded guilty to manslaughter in Maricopa County Superior Court.  The 18-year-old former Arizona State ... More >>

Final Exit Network Murder Trial Continues This Week--Prosecution Faces Uphill Struggle

Manslaughter trial continues this week in downtown Phoenix​The trial of two aged members of the "right to die" organization Final Exit Network continues at Maricopa County Superior Court today, with prosecutors certainly hoping things go better for them than last week.Dr. Larry Egbert and Frank La ... More >>

Scottsdale Mortgage-Relief Firm Hit with $29 Million Judgment in Loan-Modification Scam

bustathief.com​Bryan Prehoda and Luis Belevan were running a pretty unsuccessful Scottsdale-based mortgage-relief service -- so unsuccessful, in fact, as to constitute fraud and a judgment against them for almost $29 million.   A Maricopa County Superior Court judge entered the de ... More >>

Final Exit Network Defendant Portrayed Alternately as "The Godfather" and "Great Humanitarian" as Trial Begins

Opening statements started this morning in the jury trial of two "right-to-die" octogenarians charged in the case of a mentally disturbed Phoenix woman who committed suicide in 2007.   ​A packed spectator's gallery at Maricopa County Superior Court heard dramatically divergent views of c ... More >>

Phoenix Music Teacher Pleads Not Guilty to Charges He Used Craigslist to Solicit Sex With Dog

Patrick Trejo​A Phoenix music teacher was in Maricopa County Superior Court this morning where he pleaded not guilty to charges that he used Craigslist to solicit sex with a dog.Patrick Trejo, a 25-year-old music teacher at Raul H. Castro Middle School in Phoenix, was arrested last month after an ... More >>

Barry Jordan, Manslaughter Suspect Who Ranted About Jesus and Satan Before Blaming Toyota for Deadly Wreck, Pleads Not Guilty

Barry Jordan says Toyota's to blame for the death of an 11-year-old girl.​The Scottsdale man who's erratic driving is alleged to be responsible for the death of an 11-year-old girl, and who ranted and raved about Jesus and Satan following the wreck, was in Maricopa County Superior Court this morni ... More >>

'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 >>

Russell Pearce's Son Joshua: Bench Warrant Issued

There's a bench warrant out on the son of the most powerful man in ArizonaAccording to a recent minute entry by Maricopa County Superior Court Commissioner Steven K. Holding, a bench warrant has been issued for state Senate President Russell Pearce's son Joshua Trent Pearce.Holding's minute entry st ... More >>

Claudia Washburn, Mother of Prison Escapee John McCluskey, Gets Prison Time for Aiding Son's Escape

Claudia Washburn​The mother of prison escapee John McCluskey's been sentenced to seven months in prison for helping her son and two other inmates evade authorities after they escaped from prison last summer.Maricopa County Superior Court Commissioner Steven Lynch could have sentenced Claudia ... More >>

Louis Araneta, Retired Judge, Quits Volunteer Post Over Religion Flap

Image: www.vision360.org​ A retired judge has resigned his volunteer post from an Appellate Court panel charged with reviewing applications for the state's latest Indepedent Redistricting Commission. Louis Araneta, a former Maricopa County Superior Court judge, sent his resignation l ... More >>

Gilbert Man Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter and Child Abuse in Death of 13-Month-Old Girl

David Reed​A Gilbert man, initially charged with first-degree murder in the death of a 13-month-old girl, pleaded guilty to lesser charges in a Maricopa County Superior Court this morning.David Arnold Reed III, 23, copped to manslaughter and child abuse in the 2009 beating death of Cheree Goard, ... More >>

Vinlanders Vanquished: Phoenix PD's Career Criminal Squad Crushes White Supremacist Gang in Arizona

The Vinlanders Social Club, out of business in AZ because of the Career Criminal SquadAccording to records on file with the Maricopa County Superior Court, the investigators of the Phoenix Police Department's elite Career Criminal Squad, with the assistance of the local Anti-Defamation League,& ... More >>

"Homeless" Green Party Candidates to Remain on Arizona Ballot -- for Now

www.solarnavigator.com​As it turns out, Green Party candidates who the New York Times claim are "homeless" -- and who were dubbed by Arizona's Green Party as "sham" candidates -- have rights, too, and will remain on the November ballot as the party's nominees for several offices despite complaints ... More >>

Sixto Balbuena Gets 10 Years for Love-Triangle Killing; Tamara Hofmann, Former Chandler Schoolteacher, was at Center of Affair

Sixto Balbuena​ A 21-year-old Navy sailor received a 10-year prison sentence in Maricopa County Superior Court today for the murder of his rival for the love of a 48-year-old Chandler schoolteacher.Sixto Balbuena stabbed 18-year-old Samual Valdivia on April 10, 2009, after catching the younger ... More >>

Court Won't Stop Joe Arpaio From Attacking Tom Horne in TV Ads

  Photo illustration: Ray Stern Sheriff Arpaio scolds Tom Horne and Rick Romley in a TV hit-piece masquerading as a 2012 election ad.​A Maricopa County Superior Court judge has declined to stop Sheriff Joe Arpaio from pounding Tom Horne and Rick Romley in a televised attack ... More >>

"Desert Diva" Prostitution Ring Leader Sentenced to Prison, Probation, and Some Serious Restitution

Paul Nichta​As the saying goes, pimpin' aint easy.The apparent difficulties of keepin' a pimp-hand strong aside, it can also get you some prison time, as is the case for Paul Nichta -- the admitted leader of the infamous "Desert Divas" prostitution ring who was sentenced today in Maricopa County S ... More >>

Sky Harbor Luggage Thief Pleads Guilty to Theft

Stacy King​One of the two people police believe are responsible for systematically stealing thousands of pieces of luggage from the baggage carousels at Sky Harbor International Airport last year has pleaded guilty to theft and other charges.Stacy King, 39, admitted to two counts of theft, traffic ... More >>

Final Exit Network Bigwig Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter in Phoenix Woman's 2007 Death

An update on our August 2007 story entitled "Death Wish," the bizarre tale of how a so-called "right to die" organization, the Final Exit Network, helped a mentally troubled Phoenix woman to commit suicide.f​Earlier this week, New Jersey resident Roberta Massey, who is one of the four criminal de ... More >>

Havasupai Tribe Win Nice Settlement From ASU In Scandalous Blood-Sample Case

Back in May 2004, we published a cover story entitled "Indian Givers," which broke the news about a remarkably devious study conducted by genetic researchers at Arizona State University. ​The piece described how those researchers, led by Dr. Therese Markow, a nationally known geneti ... More >>

Judge Won't Give Opinion on Thomas' Desire for Pricey Special Prosecutors

Maricopa Superior Court Web siteJudge Roland Steinle​A Maricopa County Superior Court judge won't give his opinion to county leadership about those pricey special prosecutors County Attorney Andrew Thomas wants to hire.In a ruling that cuts both parties down to size (but seems to ding Thomas m ... More >>

Arpaio Pissed Over Judge's Ruling to Have MCSO Detention Officer Hold a Press Conference

www.citizensrequired.com​According to the sheriff, nobody tells his guys what to do except Sheriff Joe himself -- not even Maricopa County Superior Court judges.This morning, a Maricopa County detention officer was found in contempt of court for taking documents out of defense attorney Joanne Cucc ... More >>

Hmmm, County Attorney's Office Says It's Unlikely MCSO Officer Found in Contempt of Court Will Go to Jail or Hold Press Conference

​Since our last post about the Maricopa County detention officer found in contempt of court for taking the papers of a defense attorney in Maricopa County Superior Court, the County Attorney's Office called us back.We asked Deputy County Attorney Tom Liddy, who is representing Officer Adam Sto ... More >>

CBS' 48 Hours Set to Air Hour-Long Take on Doug Grant Murder Case

Readers of this paper are likely to recall the Doug Grant murder case.   ​Remember, the onetime Phoenix Suns nutritionist who was convicted of manslaughter in the 2001 drowning death of his beautiful wife Faylene. (That's the happy couple on the day of their second wedding, mere we ... More >>

Metadata in Electronic Government Records Must be Released to Public, Arizona Supreme Court Rules

Phoenix police Sergeant David Lake may get to find out whether his supervisors screwed him over, thanks to unanimous pro-public-records ruling by the Arizona Supreme Court. As we related back in January, Lake was halted twice by the court system in his quest to obtain the metadata embedded in a Micr ... More >>

UPDATE: Doug Grant Sentencing Postponed Until Further Notice

Doug Grant, the onetime Phoenix Suns nutritionist convicted last month of manslaughter was scheduled to be sentenced Friday, May 1. But Vincent Funari, the able public information officer for the Maricopa County Superior Court, just sent out an e-mail to announce that Grant's sentencing has ... More >>

Andrew Thomas Spanked By Appeals Court

  That was fast. Two days ago, Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas fired off a Hail Mary to the Court of Appeals, complaining that superior court judges are biased against him and asking the higher court to intervene. Today a three-justice appellate panel dismissed Thomas' petition ... More >>

"TheEroticReview.com" Founder, David Elms, on the Lam

  A Maricopa County Superior Court judge signed a bench warrant today for prostitution whiz David Elms, who skipped his scheduled arraignment. As readers of the blog know, Elms also missed a court hearing on March 4, but officials decided it might have been inadvertent. When he failed to a ... More >>

Gilbert Pols Meet in Executive Session on Mormon Murder Case

Mesa: Accused Cleaning Service Had Access to Library, Not City Hall

Power Play

County law enforcement's attack on the judiciary didn't work, but the war's far from over

Court House Scoundrels

Unsuspecting consumers are getting ripped off by the hundreds. The Supereme Court is working to stop this unauthorized practice of law.

Booby Call

Hooters restaurant not welcome in Ahwatukee, some residents say

Some Assembly Required

Exhibition lets locals create pieces based on written instructions

Take Me Out to the Courtroom

Bank One Ballpark contractors cry foul, prepare $34 million lawsuit

Parking Mirage

City pretends that parking garage next to stadium is not a favor to Colangelo's Diamondbacks

DISTRICTS SUED OVER MOLESTATIONSSCHOOLS LET PREDATOR RUN FREE, VICTIM'S FAMILY SAYS