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Roger Murray Arizona Death Row

Robert and Roger Murray were sentenced to death by the State of Arizona for a double murder. According to court documents Robert and Roger Murray forced their way into a home where they would fatally shoot the owners, Dean Morrison and Jackie Appelhans. They then stole a number of possessions before fleeing. Both Robert and Roger Murray were arrested, convicted and sentenced to death. Robert Murray died on death row from natural causes

Arizona Death Row Inmate List

Roger Murray 2021 Information

ASPC Florence, Central Unit
PO Box 8200
ROGER W. MURRAY 094262
Florence, AZ 85132
United States

Roger Murray More News

On May 11, 1991, Robert and Roger Murray spent the night in Las Vegas, Nevada, and bought a .12 gauge shotgun. The following day, the Murrays drove to Kingman. During the night of May 14, 1991, they decided to rob someone. While driving through Grasshopper Junction, which is 30 miles north of Kingman on the way to Las Vegas, they stopped at the home of Dean Morrison and Jackie Appelhans. The Murrays entered the home while armed, and had the two victims lie down on the floor side-by-side. They shot each of them at least twice with a .38 revolver, and shot Jackie twice more with a .22 rifle. They then shot each of them once in the head with a shotgun. They then ransacked the house and fled.

Robert Murray Death

Inmate Robert Murray, 49, ADC #094261, was pronounced deceased on June 28, 2014 of apparent natural causes.

Murray, sentenced to Death out of Mohave County for 1^st Degree Murder, was also convicted of Armed Robbery. He came to ADC on October 26, 1992.

All inmate deaths are investigated in consultation with the county medical examiner’s office.

Robert Murray Other News

Dean Morrison, age 65, and Jacqueline Appelhans, age 60, lived at and ran a store and restaurant at Grasshopper Junction, a rural area outside Kingman, Arizona. An acquaintance, LaVern Raduenz, stopped by their place at about 8:30 or 9:00 a.m. on May 14, 1991, to have coffee. Raduenz noticed money on the ground and an open door to the restaurant. Through the open door, he saw that the cash register was not in its usual place. Raduenz then walked over to the house, found its door open, and saw the bodies of Morrison and Appelhans. Raduenz left immediately to call the police.

Meanwhile, sometime before 8:00 a.m. and before the discovery of the bodies, police found one of Morrison’s tow trucks abandoned on I-40 westbound near Kingman. At approximately 8:00 a.m. police arrested defendants on unrelated charges nearly on the other side of the state on eastbound I-40 near Holbrook. Upon their arrest, defendants had in their possession firearms and other evidence linking them to Grasshopper Junction.

*21 When Morrison’s and Appelhans’ bodies were found, they were both lying face down in the living room wearing bathrobes. Both had suffered multiple gunshot wounds to the head. There was a revolver on the couch and a .22 semiautomatic rifle leaning against the wall, muzzle down. Various .22 and .38 caliber bullets, casings, and shells were found near the bodies, as well as shotgun pellets. No double ought buckshot or expended shotgun shells were found at the scene.

Drawers in the living room had been pulled open and the contents strewn around; the bedrooms and kitchen were ransacked. One of the two cushion coverings was missing from the couch. There was a .303 rifle on a bed and $172 on a desk chair. Loose change and a single roll of coins were on the kitchen floor. Morrison’s wallet, undisturbed in the pocket of his pants on the kitchen floor, contained $800.

The drawer from the store’s cash register had been removed. Packs of Marlboro cigarettes were left in paper bags in the store, and the gasoline register was turned on. Police found Morrison’s glasses, a flashlight, and a set of keys on the patio of the store. Three live .38 caliber bullets were found near the gas pumps. Morrison’s sister found a fired .25 bullet in the pantry two weeks after the crime.

Detective Lent of the Mohave County Sheriff’s Department documented the tracks around the scene, noting the tracks of those officers at the scene as well as those of Raduenz. Lent and another experienced tracker, Sergeant Bishop, found four sets of footprints not made by the officers or by Raduenz, two of which were those of the victims. The other two sets of footprints were made by a pair of tennis shoes, later determined to match those worn by Roger, and by a pair of western boots, consistent with those worn by Robert at the time of his arrest. Officers photographed and sketched the footprints. Other than the shoe prints of the officers, the victims, and Raduenz, the defendants’ footprints were the only ones to enter or leave the crime scene. One trail showed three sets of prints: the tennis shoes, the boots, and Morrison’s slippers. The prints indicated resistance by Morrison.

Rolled and loose coins were found in the courtyard amidst footprints of the victims and defendants. Both defendants’ footprints, as well as Morrison’s, were found near a backhoe, where there were also tire tracks later determined to be from the tow truck found on westbound I-40.

Robert and Roger Murray eventually headed eastbound on I-40 in their white 1988 Ford Tempo sedan with Alabama plates. For reasons unrelated to the homicide and not disclosed to the jury, an officer attempted to stop defendants. Robert and Roger Murray fled in their car, speeding in excess of 85 miles per hour, leaving the highway, running a manned and armed roadblock, and only stopping offroad where a wash prevented the car from proceeding further. Robert, the driver, threw from the car a .38 revolver that contained four bullets; Roger threw out a loaded .25 semiautomatic pistol. Robert had two spent shotgun shell casings in his hip pocket.

Inside the vehicle, there was a loaded twelve gauge sawed-off shotgun along with live double ought buckshot shells. There was also a checkered cushion cover, matching the cushion on Morrison’s couch, which contained rolled coins stamped “Dean’s Enterprises, Grasshopper Junction, Kingman, Arizona, 86401,” along with a blue pillow case containing approximately $1400 in coin rolls and $3300 in cash. Gloves were found, as well as a receipt from the Holiday House Motel in Kingman, dated May 12, 1991. Motel records showed that the brothers had listed a 1988 Ford on the hotel registration card and had checked out on May 13. A road atlas in the car had circles around the locations of two rural shops or restaurants โ” Oasis and Grasshopper Junction โ” that were not otherwise indicated on the map.

Keys recovered from Robert’s pocket were later determined to fit a 1991 Chevy Pickup that was on Morrison’s property. A scanner and connecting knob found in the car fit the empty bracket of the tow truck found on westbound I-40.

Morrison’s autopsy revealed that he had suffered a shotgun blast that entered behind his left ear from a distance of about three feet, shattering his skull. He also suffered *22 two gunshot wounds from a large caliber pistol, one entering the left lower neck, and the other the right temple area. A .38 bullet was recovered from the back of his neck. Large caliber buckshot was removed from his head. A fired .38 bullet was found next to Morrison. Morrison also had lacerations and abrasions on his face, elbow, forearm, knee, and thigh. These injuries occurred in the same time frame as the gunshot wounds.

Appelhans was shot with at least three different guns. Her head had been shattered by a contact wound from a shotgun; brain and scalp tissue were found on the couch and the surrounding area. Two .38 caliber slugs were removed from her skull. She also suffered .22 caliber wounds that entered at the back of the neck and exited her face. A fragment of one of the .22 bullets was found in her right hand. An aspiration hemorrhage in her lungs suggested a lapse of time between the initial gunshot and death. The .38 caliber bullets were a possible cause of death, the .22 bullets had an uncertain role, and the shotgun blast was clearly lethal. But the autopsy did not reveal the sequence of the shots.

The casings found at the crime scene and in Robert’s pocket were fired by the three guns found with defendants. Other bullets, slugs, and casings were inconclusive as to the weapons that fired them; some had characteristics that were consistent with being fired by the weapons.

Human blood and tissue were found on Robert’s shirt, on Roger’s pants, and on the cushion cover. The blood on Roger’s pants could have come from either victim or Robert, but not from Roger. The blood on Robert’s shirt could have come from either victim, but not from Robert or Roger. The blood on the cushion could have come from Appelhans, but not Morrison, Robert, or Roger. DNA tests were not conducted.

Robert and Roger Murray were each indicted and found guilty of the first degree murders of Morrison and Appelhans and the armed robbery of Morrison. The first degree murder verdicts were unanimous on both premeditated and felony murder theories.

https://law.justia.com/cases/arizona/supreme-court/1995/cr-92-0440-ap-2.html

Cory Morris Arizona Death Row

Cory Morris was sentenced to death by the State of Arizona for the murders of five women. According to court documents serial killer Cory Morris would lure the woman to his residence where they would be sexually assaulted and murdered. Cory Morris would keep the victims body for days for sexual gratification. Cory Morris would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death.

Arizona Death Row Inmate List

Cory Morris 2021 Information

Cory Morris More News

In September, 2002, Cory Morris lured his first victim back to his trailer with the inducement of money for sexual services. The victim had recently been released from prison and was taking medication for an addiction to heroin. While engaging in sex, Morris wrapped a tie around the victim’s throat and strangled her to death. Cory Morris kept the body for some time, using it for sexual gratification. Eventually he put the body in an alley near his trailer.

In October, 2002, Morris lured a second victim back to his trailer with money for sexual services. Morris similarly strangled the victim and used her body for sexual gratification. In February, 2003, Morris talked a third victim into coming back with him to his trailer for sex. Once inside, Morris strangled her and had sex with the body.

Some time in March, 2003, Cory Morris came across a woman with severe mental impairments. Morris lured her back to his camper, and sexually assaulted and strangled her to death. After her death, he kept the body for a significant length of time and repeatedly raped her.

Cory Morris killed his final victim in April, 2003. Under the pretense of sex, Morris sexually assaulted her and strangled her with a tie. Morris kept the body, and repeatedly sexually gratified himself with it. A relative noticed a putrid smell coming from Morris’ trailer and discovered the decomposing body. The relative contacted the police, who arrested Morris.

Cory Morris Other News

Morris lived in a camper in the backyard of his aunt and uncle’s house in Phoenix and worked at a bar approximately three nights a week. In April 2003, Morris’s boss noticed for the first time that Morris had a body odor problem. Morris’s aunt and uncle also noticed that Morris had a body odor problem that had become progressively worse since he began living with them six months earlier.

¶ 3 On April 12, 2003, when Morris’s uncle went to the camper to find Morris, he smelled a “rotten odor” in the backyard and saw flies inside the window of the camper. As he opened the door and stepped inside, he saw flies and maggots “boiling on the floor.” He discovered the decomposed body of Julie Castillo under a blanket.

¶ 4 On the same day, police officers questioned Morris about the body in his camper, as well as four other bodies that had been found nearby. During this interview, Morris admitted to knowing the five victims and provided two versions of each victim’s death. In the first version, he claimed that each victim died of a drug overdose while he was away from the camper. After discussing all five victims, the detective conducting the interview told Morris that he did not believe him. Morris then stated that each victim asked him to choke her during sex and that each accidentally died as a result of this conduct. Morris also claimed that he used a condom during sex with the victims. We discuss each victim in turn.

¶ 5 On September 11, 2002, police discovered Barbara Codman’s naked, decomposed body in an alley between East McKinley and East Pierce Streets and west of 9th Street. The alley is located just north of Morris’s residence. Police found drag marks from the sidewalk crossing the alley into the alley itself. Codman’s body exhibited skin slippage ¹ on her inner thighs and breast, and her head and neck were more decomposed than the rest of her body.

¶ 6 Morris said that he met Codman while walking at night and, for twenty dollars, she agreed to come to his camper and have sex with him. Morris first said that he went outside after he and Codman had sex and, when he returned, Codman was sitting naked on the bed using drugs. Morris told her to leave after she finished, and then he stepped outside. When he went back into the camper, Codman was sitting on the bed panting, and she soon collapsed. Morris dragged Codman out of the camper on a sleeping bag.

¶ 7 In his second version of events, Morris stated that Codman asked him to choke her with a necktie during sex. He did so, and she collapsed and never regained consciousness.

¶ 8 Morris kept some of Codman’s belongings, including her overalls, panties, and purse. Analysts found Codman’s DNA on some of the items. When Morris was arrested, he was carrying Codman’s social security card, driver’s license, and check card in his wallet.

¶ 9 Because of the extensive decomposition of Codman’s head and neck, Dr. John Hu, who performed her autopsy, was unable to conduct a detailed investigation for trauma in that region. Hu originally determined that the cause of death was combined toxicity of morphine and cocaine and listed the manner of death as undetermined because the circumstances surrounding Codman’s death were suspicious. After the police gave Hu a transcript of Morris’s statements, he determined that “the cause of death is most likely asphyxia due to ligature strangulation” because the autopsy results were not inconsistent with such a determination.

¶ 10 On October 10, 2002, police found Shanteria Davis’s naked, decomposed body in the same alley in which Codman’s body had been discovered. Davis had skin slippage on her back, buttocks, and the backs of her legs. Police found drag marks in the alley.

¶ 11 In his first version of events, Morris stated that, for five dollars, Davis agreed to come back to his camper and have sex with him. After they had sex, Morris left Davis alone in the camper for about an hour because she wanted to use drugs. When Morris returned, Davis was unconscious but breathing. Morris covered her and left for his friend’s house. When he returned the next morning, Davis was dead. That night, he dragged her into the alley.

¶ 12 In his second version of events, Morris stated that Davis asked him to wrap her hair extensions around her neck while they were having sex. Davis died as a result of this conduct.

¶ 13 Police found hair extensions in Morris’s camper. DNA under Davis’s fingernails matched Morris’s DNA. DNA analysis on panties found in Morris’s camper could not exclude Davis as a source of the DNA.

¶ 14 Because of the extent of decomposition, Dr. Kevin Horn, who performed Davis’s autopsy, could not determine whether Davis suffered any trauma. Based on the lack of visible trauma and the presence of cocaine and cocaine breakdown products in her spleen, Horn determined that the cause of death was cocaine intoxication. After reviewing a transcript of Morris’s statements to the police, Horn stated that nothing in his autopsy was inconsistent with strangulation.

¶ 15 On February 27, 2003, police discovered the clothed body of Jade Velasquez on the west side of 9th Street, just outside the gate leading to the backyard where Morris’s camper was located. Velasquez had ligature marks on the front and sides of her neck and bruising under her left eye. Police noted “some disturbance” in the ground near the gate to the backyard, which was consistent with removing the gate from its hinge and then replacing it. Police also noted grass scuff marks on the sidewalk, indicating that the body had been dragged. A detective spoke with Morris’s aunt during the investigation of Velasquez’s death.

¶ 16 Morris first stated that Velasquez, a friend, agreed to come to his camper for sex. He claimed that Velasquez was drunk when she arrived at the camper and passed out before having sex with him. According to Morris, he realized that Velasquez was dead when she did not wake up the next morning. He left for the day and moved her body to the street that night.

¶ 17 In his second version of events, Morris stated that Velasquez asked him to use his hands to choke her while they were having sex. Morris did so, and Velasquez passed out and never regained consciousness. Morris put Velasquez’s clothes back on her before he dragged her to the street because he knew her and did not want to leave her in the street unclothed.

¶ 18 DNA from semen on a vaginal swab taken from Velasquez’s body matched Morris’s DNA profile. Dr. Vladimir Shvarts, who performed Velasquez’s autopsy, found petechial hemorrhages in her left eye and focal hemorrhagic areas inside her neck and determined that the cause of death was strangulation. Velasquez’s blood tested positive for alcohol, cocaine metabolites, and benzodiazepines, but the combination of drugs was not sufficient to cause death.

¶ 19 On March 29, 2003, police found Sharon Noah’s naked body on the west side of 9th Street, approximately fifteen to twenty feet from the location at which Velasquez’s body was discovered. There were ligature marks on Noah’s neck and skin slippage on her inner thighs, breasts, and hips. Some maggots were present on her body, and her hand and foot were mummified. Some of Noah’s artificial fingernails were broken.

¶ 20 Morris first stated that he met Noah, who had the mental age of a ten- or eleven-year-old, while out walking, and the two then went back to his camper and had sex. Afterwards, Morris left because Noah wanted to use drugs. Noah was dead when he returned. Morris then put a belt around Noah’s neck and pulled her body onto his sleeping bag. He dragged her body outside that night. He threw away most of her clothes but kept her shoes.

¶ 21 In his second version of events, Morris said that Noah suggested that he use the nylon strap attached to Morris’s gym bag to choke her during sex. Morris did so, but when Noah’s eyes closed, he stopped and noticed that she was no longer breathing. Morris left the strap on Noah’s neck until he dragged her outside.

¶ 22 DNA on panties found in Morris’s camper matched both Morris’s and Noah’s DNA profiles, and Morris’s DNA profile matched DNA on a vaginal swab taken from Noah. Police also found broken fingernails in Morris’s camper.

¶ 23 Noah’s autopsy indicated that she died of ligature strangulation resulting in asphyxia. Toxicology reports showed that Noah had used cocaine before her death and that although she had GHB, which is often used in date rapes, in her system, drug overdose was not the cause of death. When asked how he would explain the extensive skin slippage on Noah’s thighs, the medical examiner posited that some item may have contacted her thighs postmortem.

¶ 24 The body discovered in Morris’s camper on April 12, 2003, was that of Julie Castillo. The badly decomposed body was face down and her buttocks were near the camper’s fold-down bed. There was a necktie around her neck.

¶ 25 Morris first stated that he brought Castillo back to his camper because it was cold and she needed a place to spend the night. Morris left the camper after Castillo asked if she could smoke crack, and when he returned, Castillo was unconscious on the floor. He took her clothes off because she had urinated on herself. The next day, he went to work, and when he returned, he realized that Castillo was dead. Morris stayed in the camper that night. When the detective conducting the interview asked whether Morris engaged in any sexual activity while Castillo’s body was in the camper, Morris stated that he ejaculated in his sleep but was facing away from Castillo’s body at the time. Morris originally said that he never had sex with Castillo.

¶ 26 In his second version of events, Morris stated that Castillo asked him to choke her with a necktie during sex. Morris did so, and Castillo collapsed and never regained consciousness. Morris kept Castillo’s body in his camper for approximately five days before it was discovered. He claimed that he had not been in the camper during the three days before the body’s discovery.

¶ 27 Dr. Horn, who performed Castillo’s autopsy, determined that Castillo had been dead “between three and seven” days at the time the body was found. Based on information from the detectives, Horn determined that the cause of death was “probable ligature strangulation.” Because of the extensive decomposition, there was no visible evidence of trauma. Castillo had a blood alcohol content of 0.12, and also had traces of cocaine in her system. Additionally, seven defects measuring up to three-eighths of an inch radiated around Castillo’s anus. Horn could not determine whether the defects resulted from trauma or normal decomposition.

¶ 28 A grand jury indicted Morris for five counts of first degree murder. During the guilt phase of the trial, the prosecution played videotapes of Morris’s descriptions of each woman’s death. Morris did not present a defense, but his counsel moved for acquittal on all counts pursuant to Arizona Rule of Criminal Procedure 20.a. The judge denied the motion. The jury then found Morris guilty on all five counts.

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/az-supreme-court/1115506.html

Julius Moore Arizona Death Row

Julius Moore was sentenced to death by the State of Arizona for a triple murder. According to court documents Julius Moore went to a crack den where he shot and killed three people, Sergio Mata, Guadalupe Ramos and Delia Ramos. Julius Moore would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death.

Arizona Death Row Inmate List

Julius Moore 2021 Information

ASPC Florence, Central Unit
PO Box 8200
JULIUS J. MOORE 218107
Florence, AZ 85132
United States

Julius Moore More News

Debra Ford went to the Phoenix apartment of Sergio Mata, Delia Ramos, and Guadalupe Ramos to purchase and smoke crack in the late evening hours of November 15, 1999. In the early hours of the 16th, Moore came to the apartment looking for Debra. When Debra came out to see Moore, they talked for a bit and smoked some crack. Shortly after, Sergio came out of the apartment; Moore got in his face and asked him “do you have a problem with me?” Sergio did not respond, and Moore shot him in the head, killing him, and then turned to Debra and shot her in the neck. Debra remained alive and conscious while praying for her life. She heard several additional shots fired

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In November 1999, Delia Ramos and Sergio Mata were selling crack cocaine from a small rental house in which they lived on East Yale Street in Phoenix.¹ Delia’s brother Guadalupe Ramos lived with the couple.

¶ 3 On November 15, Debra Ford came to the house around 5:30 p.m., bought $30 to $40 of crack cocaine, and began smoking it. After Ford ran out of money and drugs, she remained at the house hoping Delia would give her more crack. Later that evening, Ford sat outside the house smoking crack with Moore and Sarry Ortiz. At some point, Moore left and Ford went with Ortiz to drive around and smoke more crack. Ford again smoked crack when she later returned to the Yale Street house.

¶ 4 While Ford was away with Ortiz, Moore went to his mother’s house, where he lived with his girlfriend, Jessica Borghetti. Moore told Borghetti that he had seen a person who had tried to run him over and he was not going to stand for it. He took a 9 mm pistol and drew a map for Borghetti of where he was going in case something happened to him. The map showed a destination other than the Yale Street house.

¶ 5 Tony Brown, an acquaintance of Ford, stopped by the Yale Street house at about 4:00 a.m. on November 16, looking for his girlfriend. Brown saw Mata outside and offered him cash if he would tell Brown’s girlfriend to come out. When Mata tried to take the cash, Brown hit Mata and threatened him. Mata ran inside and Brown decided to leave.

¶ 6 As he was leaving, Brown saw a man, whom he later identified as Moore, hiding in oleander bushes near the house. Brown had seen Moore earlier that evening at a different crack house. Brown testified that Moore called him over to the bushes, flashed a gun, and asked if Brown wanted to help Moore “get” Mata. Brown declined and left on his bicycle.

¶ 7 After Brown left, Julius Moore sat outside the Yale Street house smoking cigarettes with Ford and Guadalupe. Moore went inside, obtained a small amount of crack, and then came back outside to smoke it. Guadalupe and Ford went back inside the house. While inside, Ford could hear Moore repeatedly knocking on the door and calling for her. Delia gave Ford some crack and asked her to leave.

¶ 8 When Ford went outside, Moore asked if she got more crack and offered to let her use his pipe. Mata then came outside. Julius Moore asked whether Mata had a problem with him. Ford heard no response; instead, she saw Moore shoot Mata and then turn and shoot her. Ford fell to the ground and heard several more gunshots in quick succession.

¶ 9 Shortly afterward, Ortiz picked up Moore near the Yale Street house and drove him to his mother’s house. When he went inside, his mother began yelling at him. Julius Moore told Borghetti he did not “need that right now” because he had just shot four people. Upon learning that Moore had been out all night, his mother kicked him and Borghetti out of the house. Moore and Borghetti left with Ortiz. Julius Moore gave Ortiz some crack while they drove around.

¶ 10 While driving, Ortiz saw Ford lying in the front yard of the Yale Street house. Ortiz got out of her car and flagged down a taxi driver who called 911. Ortiz noticed Moore trying to “take off in [her] car.” She got back in her car and they drove around the neighborhood, picked up Ortiz’s friend, stopped at another crack house to smoke crack, and then drove past the crime scene again. After seeing the police had arrived, Ortiz took Moore and Borghetti back to his mother’s house. As he got out of the car, Moore gave Ortiz and her friend some crack.

¶ 11 Julius Moore and Borghetti packed some belongings, including Moore’s gun and the clothes he had worn the previous night, and went to some friends’ apartment. After his photo appeared in the newspaper, Moore cut off his braids in an effort to alter his appearance. On November 23, 1999, Phoenix police officers arrested Moore and Borghetti at the apartment. A firearms examiner later concluded that bullets found at the crime scene had been fired from Moore’s gun.

¶ 12 Julius Moore was indicted for and convicted of two counts of premeditated and felony murder for the murders of Delia and Guadalupe, one count of premeditated murder for the murder of Mata, one count of attempted first-degree murder for the injuries to Ford, and one count of first-degree burglary. The trial court was to sentence Moore in August 2002, but the hearing was vacated after the Supreme Court held that Arizona’s capital sentencing scheme was unconstitutional. See Arizona v. Ring (Ring II ), 536 U.S. 584, 609, 122 S.Ct. 2428, 153 L.Ed.2d 556 (2002).

¶ 13 In November 2004, the trial court empanelled a jury to determine Moore’s sentence. The State alleged two aggravators: that Moore murdered Delia in an especially cruel manner, see A.R.S. § 13-703(F)(6) (Supp.1999), and that Moore murdered multiple persons on the same occasion, see id. § 13-703(F)(8). The jury did not reach a verdict on the (F)(6) aggravator, but did find the (F)(8) aggravator. Before the penalty phase concluded, the court declared a mistrial because Moore’s medical expert suffered a heart attack.

¶ 14 In May 2007, the trial court empanelled a second jury to determine Moore’s sentence. The court allowed the State to retry the (F)(6) aggravator, and the second jury also failed to reach a verdict on this aggravator. The court instructed the jury that the (F)(8) aggravator had been established. The jury determined that Moore should be sentenced to death for the murders of Delia and Guadalupe, but should serve life imprisonment for the murder of Mata.

https://caselaw.findlaw.com/az-supreme-court/1157026.html

William Miller Arizona Death Row

William Miller was sentenced to death by the State of Arizona for five murders. According to court documents William Miller murdered the first two victims, Steven Duffy and Tammy Lovell, for they testified against him in an arson case. William Miller would also murder 18-year-old Shane Duffy, and Lovell’s children — 15-year-old Cassandra and 10-year-old Jacob because they happened to be there. William Miller would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to death.

Arizona Death Row Inmate List

William Miller 2021 Information

ASPC Eyman, Browning Unit
PO Box 3400
WILLIAM C. MILLER 231313
Florence, AZ 85132
United States

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An Arizona man was found guilty on Monday of five counts of murder and other charges in the 2006 killings of an extended family of five.

A Maricopa County Superior Court returned the verdict against 34-year-old William Craig Miller on Monday after less than two full days of deliberations. In addition to five counts of first-degree murder, the jury found Miller guilty of four counts of solicitation of first-degree murder and one count of burglary.

Miller was convicted of fatally shooting 30-year-old Steven Duffy and Duffy’s girlfriend, 32-year-old Tammy Lovell, in their east Mesa home on Feb. 21, 2006. Both were former employees of Miller’s who were police informants against him in a 2005 arson case.

Also killed were Duffy’s brother, 18-year-old Shane Duffy, and Lovell’s children — 15-year-old Cassandra and 10-year-old Jacob.

Monday’s conviction means Miller now faces the death penalty. Miller already is serving a 16-year prison term after being convicted in March of burning down his Scottsdale home to collect insurance money.

Miller’s attorneys called no witnesses to the stand to testify on his behalf.

The Arizona Republic reported that in her opening statements, prosecutor Kristen Hoffmeyer described Miller as an “arrogant braggart” who at first tried to hire four men to carry out the killings but ended up acting alone when they wouldn’t cooperate.

“He eliminated them as witnesses, and he eliminated their family because there was to be no witnesses left,” Hoffmeyer said.

Hoffmeyer showed graphic photos of the crime scene, prompting the victims’ family members to cry in court. Miller declined to attend the trial.

In his opening statement, the Republic said that defense attorney Eric Kessler urged jurors to keep an open mind.

https://www.eastvalleytribune.com/local/man-guilty-in-mesa-murder-of-5/article_91f208be-d291-11e0-ae45-001cc4c03286.html

Efren Medina Arizona Death Row

Efren Medina was sentenced to death by the State of Arizona for the murder of an elderly man. According to court documents Efren Medina and Ernest Aro would beat the 71 year old victim Carle Hodge before running him over with a vehicle. Efren Medina was arrested, convicted and sentenced to death

Arizona Death Row Inmate List

Efren Medina 2021 Information

ASPC Florence, Central Unit
PO Box 8200
EFREN MEDINA 121384
Florence, AZ 85132
United States

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On September 30, 1993, 71 year old Carle Hodge was fund dead lying face down in the road next to his car. Police received information that Mr. Hodge had been assaulted and knocked to the pavement and then run over by a vehicle. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The Hodge’s distinctive turquoise watch was later found wedged in the wheel well of Medina’s vehicle. Medina’ s fingerprints were found on the Hodge’s car. The investigation revealed Hodge was beaten to the ground and kicked by Medina and was subsequently run over by co-defendant Ernest Aro.

Efren Medina Other News

Just after midnight on September 30, 1993, Frazier Giles got out of bed to open a window. In the parking lot across the street, he saw a person sitting in his neighbor’s car with the door open and the headlights on. Giles noticed what he thought was a “pile of rags” beside the car. A few minutes later he heard someone say, “Please don’t hit me. Don’t hit me. Don’t. Don’t.” Giles returned to the window and saw a second car drive up and stop next to his neighbor’s vehicle. The driver spoke to the person in the parked car for a few minutes before leaving.

¶ 4 The person in the parked car turned off the headlights, got out of the car, stomped on the “pile of rags,” and then dragged the pile into the street. At that point, Giles realized that the “pile of rags” was a person. The second car returned and the person who had dragged the body got inside. The car sped away, but then came “racing back” and ran over the body with both the front and back wheels. Giles left the window to call the police.

¶ 5 Medina’s girlfriend, Angela Calderon, testified that about two hours later, she and a friend were sitting in her front yard when three men arrived in Medina’s car. Medina got out of the driver’s side and Ernest Aro stepped out from the passenger side. Kevin Martinez remained in the backseat. Medina and Aro appeared intoxicated and were “laughing and giggling.” Calderon asked why they were laughing, and Medina told her to “watch the news” for a “speed bump” or “tire markings.” Medina also simulated driving over a speed bump and made “varoom, bump, bump” noises.

¶ 6 Medina met Calderon at a friend’s house later that morning, where he told her that “he was scared, because they had done something wrong.” Medina said that he and his friends had been riding in the car when they decided to steal another car. Medina admitted pulling the car’s occupant out of the vehicle and hitting and kicking him. Martinez and Medina attempted to hot-wire the car and steal the radio but were unsuccessful. Medina then pulled the man into the street.

¶ 7 Medina also told Calderon that Aro had driven off, assuming that Medina and Martinez would follow in the stolen vehicle, but when they did not, Aro returned to pick them up. Medina got in the driver’s seat after telling Aro to scoot over. Medina drove off, then came back and ran over the victim three times, going forward over him, then reversing over him and going forward again.

¶ 8 Other evidence linked Efren Medina to the murder. At the scene, investigators found a plastic bag wet with gold paint and tire marks in gold paint showing that Medina’s car had traveled both eastbound and westbound. Medina’s fingerprints were found in the victim’s car, and it appeared that someone had tried to remove the radio.

¶ 9 The police searched Medina’s car and found the victim’s watch, hair, blood, tissue, and clothing fragments in the undercarriage, as well as spatters of gold paint. In Medina’s bedroom, the police found another plastic bag filled with gold paint.

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