Case Profile Larry Youngblood Exonerated through post-conviction DNA testing In 2000, Larry Youngblood was the first person in Arizona to be exonerated through post-conviction DNA testing. In October of 1983, a 10-year-old boy was abducted from a carnival in Tucson, Arizona, driven to a remote desert location, and sodomized repeatedly for over an hour by …
Case Profile Armando Castillo Accused of second-degree murder and chid abuse based on shaken baby theory The Arizona Justice Project is proud to announce that in a courtroom filled beyond capacity, Judge Glenn Davis vacated Armando Castillo’s conviction. Armando Castillo was convicted in 1998 for second-degree murder and child abuse. He was convicted based on …
Case Profile Elizabeth Cicogni Conviction based on shaken baby syndrome Elizabeth Cicogni spent 20 years in prison for a crime she did not commit. Her 2001 conviction was based entirely on what we now know was scientifically flawed expert testimony regarding so-called “shaken baby syndrome,” also known as “SBS.” In 2019, after a multi-year investigation …
Case Profile Second Chance for Juveniles Everyone has the capacity to change In 2012, the Supreme Court decided a landmark case in Miller v Alabama, holding that mandatory life-without-parole sentences for all children 17 or younger convicted of homicide are unconstitutional. hidden Our Work Since 2012 and the Miller v Alabama decision, the Arizona Justice Project …
Case Profile Eddie Collins Convicted of first degree felony murder Eddie Collins has been a client of the Arizona Justice Project for more than 10 years. In 1973, Eddie was convicted of first degree felony murder and was sentenced to life in prison. Eddie’s brother, the actual shooter, took a plea deal and served only 10 …
Case Profile Glenn Huggins Granted clemency The Arizona Justice Project and the ASU Post-Conviction Clinic represented Glen Huggins in clemency proceedings. Given his terminal illness, Mr. Huggins met the imminent danger of death exception. His Phase II hearing was held on December 5, 2013. The Board unanimously recommended commutation of sentence and, on December 11, …
Case Profile Michael Levy Suffered brain aneurysm while serving 5-year sentence for possession of meth At the young age of 25, Michael Levy suffered a brain aneurysm and stroke while serving a five-year prison sentence for possession of methamphetamine for sale in Cochise County. Due to his incarceration, Michael was not receiving the critical care …
Case Profile Drayton Witt Case dismissed with prejudice Drayton was convicted in 2002 of second-degree murder after being accused of shaking his nearly 5 month old baby to death. Steven Witt was born a “blue baby” with the umbilical cord wrapped tightly around his neck, had aspirated meconium (fecal matter inside his lungs), and was …
Case Profile John Watkins Mis-Identification – Misconduct by Police – Exonerated by DNA John Watkins was convicted for a sexual assault that occurred in Gilbert, Arizona on May 26, 2003. The victim in this case was a 48-year-old unmarried woman, who was forced off the sidewalk by an unknown person and into the bushes where …
Case Profile Louis Taylor Spent 42 years in prison for arson he did not commit Longtime Arizona Justice Project client, Louis Taylor, was freed April 2, 2013 after spending 42 years in prison. Louis Taylor has always maintained his innocence of the 1970 Pioneer Hotel fire that took 29 lives. Attorneys from the Arizona Justice …
