Summary
When considered together, this collection of stories which are based on substantiated facts illustrate how former Maricopa County Prosecutor, Rick Romley kept his conviction rates at 89% or better throughout his time in office. What they do not show is the sort of principled and just behavior that he and his deputy prosecutors were required by ethics to follow. Romley wanted convictions, with justice seemingly not an issue, and those convictions including capital convictions were gained by dubious means.
Armando Saldate actually earned accommodation for his part in these farces despite his at points being disciplined for his less than upstanding acts as a police officer. He is now a Justice Of The Peace. I can only wonder how he sleeps at night knowing that his perjured and fabricated statements and reports sent the wrong people to await their deaths. It is clear that he would and did go to any length to support the most outrageous of murder theories and assure that he not only gained notoriety, but that these cases did not fail to bring conviction as all were destined to do without his creativity.
Noel Levy was proven to have used fabricated evidence and perjured testimony twice to try to take the life of Ray Krone, two years after his persecution of Eldon, Debra and Jim, but he walked away unscathed. He continues to work in Maricopa County Prosecutors’ Office and it is a distinct possibility that he continues to apply the same illegal tactics whenever he feels they are necessary. Levy ruined the lives of others, but his life has remained unchanged.
What has happened in these cases is not justice. The Arizona media continues to call Debra a child-killer without any understanding of the tactics used to gain conviction. Others merely conclude that if someone is on death row, they are a monster. However, the facts reveal that there were no actual investigations into any of these cases and there can be no certainty of guilt without the proper inquiry into a crime.
With codefendant testimony the only actual evidence supporting every death sentence and such testimony a leading cause of wrongful conviction, the odds that the wrong people await execution are increased. What is shown here is an example of the indifference, and political and personal motives which have turned our law enforcement and judiciary into a vicious system that too often fails to aim for justice. There is no doubt that the state of Arizona can execute these people, and their stories will simply die away. Yet, I will always be left to wonder if Jeff Landrigan was actually the vicious killer he was put to death for being, or if he was a victim of rogue officials who saw no value in his life. When Eric dies, I will be left to wonder the same, though that should not be the circumstance in a free and democratic nation.
