Welcome to Courthouse Update, a weekly rundown of goings-on at the Maricopa County Superior Court.
This week, a crappy mom gets probation for trying to give away her baby, the murder case that no jurors seem to able to agree on, Jodi Arias acts like Jodi Arias, and more:
- Rozenna Luna gets probation for trying to get rid of baby
Rozeanna Luna tried to give away her 6-month-old baby to four random people at a gas station before just giving up and calling 911 on herself earlier this year, in hopes that she'd be jailed, and her child would be taken away. Luna landed a plea deal for child abuse, and Judge John Ditsworth sentenced Luna to two years of supervised probation.
See also: Rozeanna Luna Calls 911 on Herself to Get Rid of Child
Next page: Trial continues for former cop
- Murder trial continues for former cop Richard Chrisman
The trial is still ongoing for former Phoenix cop Richard Chrisman. Chrisman is charged in the 2010 death of Phoenix resident Daniel Rodriguez. Chrisman responded to a 911 call from Rodriguez's mother, who asked that police remove her son from the trailer where they lived together. Another officer told investigators that Chrisman ended up shooting Rodriguez and his dog -- killing them both -- for no apparent reason. The trial resumes on Tuesday.
See also: Richard Chrisman Report Released by Phoenix Police Department
Next page: Jurors deliberating in self-defense shooting
- Jurors are deliberating in the John Chester Stuart murder case
Stuart shot and killed a man in 2008, but people have had a hard time figuring out if it's murder. Stuart killed the man after he approached his vehicle in an apparent road-rage altercation, and his first trial ended with a hung jury. The kicker there -- Stuart was representing himself during the trial. Now, in the second trial, jurors have deliberated for two days, and will continue deliberating on Tuesday.
See also: Mistrial declared in Phoenix fatal road-rage incident
Next page: Jodi Arias is Jodi Arias
- Jodi Arias hearing delayed
In typical Jodi Arias fashion, there's more drama. Her attorneys filed a motion seeking the Twitter handles of jurors for the upcoming do-over of the penalty phase of her trial, as well as a motion to keep cameras out of the courtroom. It seems hard to believe that Arias doesn't want the attention, but those motions will delay things a bit, and the next hearing is set for September 16.
See also: Jodi Arias Wants to See Twitter Accounts of All Jurors
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Follow Matthew Hendley on Twitter at @MatthewHendley.
