Tucson police: 3 boys facing arson charges

Three boys were arrested by Tucson police in connection with a series of alley fires in an area near East 22nd Street and South Wilmot Road.

For newly released Louis Taylor, life is now one big sensory distraction

Louis Taylor

Critics: Pima County Attorney LaWall didn't set Pioneer Hotel injustice right

Arizona Justice Project lawyers excoriated Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall for what they said is her unwillingness to acknowledge the mistakes of her predecessors in connection with a 1972 trial that sent a 17-year-old to prison for 42 years.

For newly released Louis Taylor, life is now one big sensory distraction

It's easy to understand why Louis Taylor is so distracted.

Taylor embraces freedom 42 years after Pioneer fire

More than 100 pairs of eyes were on Louis Cuen Taylor Tuesday morning as he walked tentatively into the courtroom wearing an orange prison-issue T-shirt and baggy pants.

Taylor embraces freedom 42 years after Pioneer fire

Louis Cuen Taylor accepts congratulations from Howard Kashman, his original attorney, as his current defense team surrounds him. "Welcome back, Mr. Taylor," Judge Richard Fields said after accepting Taylor's no-contest pleas. Fields gave Taylor credit for time served and ordered him released.

Taylor embraces freedom 42 years after Pioneer fire

Louis Taylor disposes of the remains of his first meal outside prison in more than 40 years, a cheeseburger at In-n-Out Burger. The restaurant was his first stop after he felt "free Mother Earth beneath my feet" upon his release from the Arizona State Prison Complex on South Wilmot Road.

Taylor embraces freedom 42 years after Pioneer fire

Kristina Beckman-Brito finds the moment overwhelming as she watches Louis Taylor come out of the South Wilmot Road prison a free man.

Taylor embraces freedom 42 years after Pioneer fire

The building at 100 N. Stone Ave., as it looks today. A fire on Dec. 20, 1970, killed 28 people; a 29th died months later. The former landmark Tucson hotel is now a office building.

Taylor embraces freedom 42 years after Pioneer fire

Louis Cuen Taylor was 16 when he was arrested after the Pioneer Hotel fire in downtown Tucson. He turns 59 this week.

Taylor embraces freedom 42 years after Pioneer fire

A injured firefighter is taken from the scene of the Pioneer Hotel blaze. The death toll ultimately reached 29.

Taylor embraces freedom 42 years after Pioneer fire

Some of the evidence in the fire was destroyed, and some was given to attorneys involved in civil suits against the hotel and the carpeting manufacturer.

Pioneer Hotel fire: The victims

The Arizona Daily Star printed a list of the dead and injured on Dec. 21, 1970.

Arson fire at Catalina Foothills apartment complex

An arson fire near tennis courts at the Park Place Apartments Monday night spread to one building, and burned outdoor window coverings, an official said.

Pima County support of Pioneer Hotel fire plea

The Pima County Attorney’s memorandum in support of the post-conviction relief and plea agreement filed in Pima County Superior Court in the case of Louis Taylor and the Pioneer Hotel fire.

Cause unclear in '70 hotel fire, new probe finds

was convicted of setting a hotel fire that killed 29.

Cause unclear in '70 hotel fire, new probe finds

Firetrucks' ladders weren't long enough to reach the Pioneer Hotel's upper floors. Here, three firefighters work to rescue survivors.

Cause unclear in '70 hotel fire, new probe finds

This photo of suspect - and eventual convict - Louis Taylor was taken shortly after the fire.

Cause unclear in '70 hotel fire, new probe finds

A charred window frame shows the heavy damage to the hotel.

Cause unclear in '70 hotel fire, new probe finds

Attorneys hoping to win a new trial for a Tucson man accused of killing 29 people in the 1970 Pioneer Hotel fire say an investigator with the Tucson Fire Department recently reviewed all of the available evidence in the case and wasn't able to determine what caused the blaze.