Pasó 42 años preso, y la duda sigue

Louis Taylor durante la conferencia de prensa que ofreció junto al equipo legal Proyecto de Justicia de Arizona, que luchó por su liberación, la cual Taylor obtuvo al declararse "nolo contendere".

Pasó 42 años preso, y la duda sigue

Caption unavailable

Pasó 42 años preso, y la duda sigue

Louis Cuen Taylor habló elocuentemente y en ocasiones se puso emocional el día después de que fue liberado luego de haber estado encarcelado por más de cuatro décadas.

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.

Arizona in middle of states for number of exonerations

WASHINGTON - The release of a Tucson man in a decades-old arson-murder case made headlines this week, but a new national report shows Arizona is in the middle of the pack when it comes to exonerating prisoners.

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.

Pioneer Hotel fire: The victims

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

Tucson Pioneer Hotel fire: Louis Taylor leaves prison

Louis Cuen Taylor was driven away from a Tucson prison this afternoon, ending 42 years behind bars for the deadly Pioneer Hotel fire.

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.