But the November election in Arizona also ushered in a new era of marijuana legalization in the form of Prop 207, which makes possession of under an ounce legal, sets up a system of cannabis retail stores, and calls for the expungement of past pot convictions. One of Gunnigle s planned goals had she been elected was to have the government research whose convictions qualified under 207, then conduct a mass expungement of all those cases. A lot of people believe that, because of 207 passing, the work is done and we ve effectively reformed marijuana laws, Gunnigle told
Phoenix New Times this week. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Original reporting and compelling writing on local news, restaurants, arts and culture have made Phoenix New Times a vital resource for readers who want to understand and engage with their community.
In two decades as a Maricopa County prosecuting attorney, Gina Godbehere has seen some grisly crime scenes. Though her main function is to prove guilt in court, she takes a boots-on-the-ground approach, arriving at murder scenes as police are still identifying witnesses and investigators taking photos of those who were living just minutes before.
Godbehere investigates dozens of homicides each year and has seen it all - shootings, stabbings, horrific car wrecks.
What she saw five years ago at Independence High School in Glendale buckled her knees: Two 15-year-olds were dead, after a murder-suicide.
When she arrived at the campus the morning of Feb. 12, 2016, police officers were putting up crime scene tape and helicopters flying overhead.
Updated: Monday, March 22, 2021 - 12:41pm
Scott Bourque/KJZZ
The crowd of demonstrators marches down Sixth Avenue in Phoenix during a demonstration against police violence May 31, 2020.
During Phoenix’s public safety subcommittee meeting on Wednesday, Councilmember Carlos Garcia pushed for information about surveillance. Garcia has been critical about the way police handled Black Lives Matter protests last summer and he asked Police Cmdr. Gabe Lopez what groups the department monitors.
“We do not monitor any specific group, we search for certain words, as far as say there’s an event in Phoenix or a protest, typically there’s some name attached to it and we will follow that communication that goes back and forth, again searching for intelligence so that we can prepare and keep people safe that are coming out,” he said.
, who was found dead in her home last week.
Police say Ottilia Piros, 36, was shot and killed by her own daughter, Hannah Thomas, and Thomas boyfriend.
Investigators have not released information about a potential motive.
Now Thomas, 17, and her boyfriend Richard Avila, 16, are charged with second-degree murder, according to police.
Authorities say the two teenagers were found in the victim s car, with the alleged murder weapon, after being pulled over for speeding on a Missouri highway.
In an exclusive interview with
Spectrum News, Piros family says Thomas was herself a victim. They say she was caught up in a chilling situation that captured national attention several years ago.