Justices reject 'implied consent'

Tucson Police Department officer Chris Morin tries to get information from a drunken-driving suspect who later became combative. He refused to take both the field sobriety test and the breath test, and a blood draw was administered.

Justices reject 'implied consent'

PHOENIX - Police cannot use state traffic laws to draw blood from suspected drunken drivers without a warrant, absent their specific permission at the time of the test, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled Thursday.

Emotive Taylor says LaWall should wipe his slate clean

Articulate and sometimes emotional, Louis Cuen Taylor spoke Wednesday afternoon about his case, the legal system and his first days of freedom after four decades in prison.

Emotive Taylor says LaWall should wipe his slate clean

Louis Taylor, with attorney Noel Fidel, fights tears as he describes his long imprisonment, during which some of his relatives died. Taylor, a Tucson native, said he might someday return to live in his hometown, but for now he plans to settle in the Phoenix area.

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.

What Mark Kelly told the man who tried to kill his wife

Below is Mark Kelly’s statement as prepared for delivery at today'ssentencing of Jared Lee Loughner:

Abortion-suit defendants at odds

PHOENIX - Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery is trying to silence his Pima County counterpart in the legal fight over a new restriction on abortion.

100 years of history celebrated on LaWall's website

Attention history buffs: Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall has added a new page to her website to celebrate the state's birthday.

After 25 years, Vicki's mother is fed up with murder appeals

When she first heard Frank Jarvis Atwood was claiming authorities framed him for the murder of her 8-year-old daughter, Vicki Lynne Hoskinson, Debbie Carlson's reaction was, "Oh, give me a break."

LaWall's office recently honored

Dozens of people who volunteer to help victims of crimes out at all hours of the day and night were recently honored by the Governor's Office.

LaWall defends murder conviction stats

Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall's violent crime unit took 61 people to trial on murder charges in the last five years, and just over half were convicted of what they were charged with.

Analysis of murder cases provides insight into LaWall's office

Barring some breaking news, the Arizona Daily Star will be running a front page story Sunday on a study of murder cases handled by the Pima County Attorney Barbara LaWall's Office between 2007 and 2011.

Ex-paralegal in Pima County prosecutor's office faces fraud charges

A woman who worked for 12 years as a paralegal for the Pima County Attorney’s Office was arraigned this week on charges alleging she stole more than $4,000 from the office — money intended to reimburse crime victims and witnesses for travel to Pima County Superior Court and per diem costs.