If you were convicted of a felony in Phoenix and are considering filing for post-conviction relief, a recent Arizona Court of Appeals ruling makes one thing clear. Once the court rules on your petition, your opportunity to revise it is limited. After the initial decision, you must act quickly and…
If you are charged with a serious crime decades after it allegedly occurred, you may wonder how law enforcement identified you. In Arizona, courts allow DNA hits from government databases to be used in connecting people to cold cases. While this evidence can be robust, it also raises concerns about…
In serious felony trials in Arizona, the issue of what evidence is admitted or excluded can make all the difference between a conviction and an acquittal. The rules governing evidence are complex, and while they are bound by laws, the admission of evidence often involves a great deal of discretion…
In the United States, the standard of proof required to prevail in legal actions varies depending on the type of case. Criminal cases are held to the highest standard: proof beyond a reasonable doubt. This means that the prosecution must prove the defendant’s guilt to such a degree that there…
Violent crimes can be tricky to litigate and to defend in court. One source of recent conversation in the Arizona criminal legal sphere has been the crime of aggravated assault, and whether hurting multiple people through one assault counts as multiple crimes or only one crime. The answer to this…
If a police officer initiates a traffic stop for an alleged traffic violation in Arizona, the stop opens the door for the officer to find evidence of other possible criminal activity. In a recent case before an Arizona court, the defendant appealed his conviction for weapons misconduct, arguing that the…
Sometimes, appeals courts are called upon to determine if a trial court made a “fundamental, prejudicial error” during trial. In certain circumstances, when the higher court finds that the lower court made this kind of critical error, the higher court will vacate the defendant’s guilty conviction. It is crucial, then,…
Have you been stopped by a police officer and charged with a DUI? Are you looking to contest the test results that the State wants to use against you? In Arizona, there are several options for challenging DUI test results; depending on your set of circumstances, each strategy has a…
Recently, a defendant in Arizona was found guilty of six counts of first-degree murder. He appealed his convictions, arguing in part that one of the jurors in his trial had external knowledge of a previous crime that he had committed. According to the defendant on appeal, this knowledge prejudiced the…
Sex crimes can be tough crimes to fight, but having an understanding of the different offenses can be helpful when you are up against the state of Arizona. Today, we review some basics of “luring,” which is a lesser known but severe criminal offense. Definition of Luring In Arizona, “luring…