Author name: tdhiland

Every December for the past 40 years, Albert Pesqueira thinks about the devastating fire at the Pioneer Hotel. He remembers what he saw and felt that night as a rookie firefighter. But this December he will bring his memories to life. Pesqueira is the creator of “Hot Pion: The Pioneer Fire Documentary,” a commemorative documentary […]

PHOENIX – Governor Jan Brewer abruptly ended her own press conference Wednesday morning after facing questions about her controversial decision to deny clemency to a long-time inmate whose guilt has been doubted. Brewer gave one answer before she turned to her staff, who then cut off any further questions and escorted her away. The questions

DALLAS – A judge on Monday overturned the 1993 conviction of a deaf man who was sent to prison for raping a 5-year-old girl despite an absence of physical evidence linking him to the attack. Stephen Brodie, 39, dropped his head in relief after an interpreter signed to him that Judge Lena Levario had set

HATTIESBURG — Larry Ruffin spent 23 years behind bars for a rape and murder that DNA shows he did not commit, but he will never walk free from prison. He died in 2002. “Every time I think about it, tears come to my eyes,” said Ernestine Arrington, Ruffin’s sister. The Innocence Project pushed for the

Arizona Justice Project lawyer honored Phoenix lawyer Larry Hammond, an advocate for death-penalty fairness, will receive the Morris Dees Justice Award in New York City on Nov. 18. Among other things, Hammond has worked to correct systemic problems in death-penalty cases and for representing death-penalty defendants. Hammond started the Arizona Justice Project and helps lead

Arizona Governor Refuses To Explain Clemency Ruling Despite a recommendation for release by the Arizona Executive Board of Clemency, Gov. Jan Brewer refuses to explain why she will not release convicted killer Bill Macumber from prison.In its report to the governor last August, the state’s clemency board said there is “substantial doubt that Mr. Macumber

Ronald Kempfert was a young boy in 1975 when his father was sent to prison for murder, and they had no contact for 28 years. Then, in 2003, Mr. Kempfert heard from a lawyer who had been looking into the case. “Your father is innocent,” said the lawyer, Larry A. Hammond. “And we’re pretty sure

An Arizona man with Rockford ties is still in prison for a crime the Clemency Review Board there says he didn’t commit.  William Macumber was sent to prison in 1975, part of his family lives in Rockford now and is fighting for his release. Read More

E.J. Montini with the Arizona Republic has a column regarding murderers who were convicted prior to 1973. Before you get all worked up about a proposed law that could benefit 29 convicted killers in Arizona there are three things you should know about it. First, it saves money. Second, it is supported by former Supreme

In True Stories of False Confessions, Rob Warden and Steve Drizin of the Center on Wrongful Convictions present 39 compelling accounts of false confessions—articles adapted from newspapers, magazines, and books by distinguished writers, including Sydney Schanberg, Alex Kotlowitz, and John Grisham. Read More