PHOENIX — Maricopa County capital cases, juries have rejected giving convicted murderers a death sentence almost half the time they were given the choice.
ABC15 and ProPublica reviewed nearly 350 death penalty cases from 2004 to 2023.
The results: 41 death sentences and 35 jury rejections.
Former Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley said that represents a problem with prosecutors’ upfront decision-making process.
SEEKING DEATH: MCAO's capital cases rarely end in death but cost us hundreds of millions
“The jury is kind of a barometer of whether or not you’re doing a good job,” he said. “And quite frankly… if it was a school grade, that’s called an F.”
This video report is the third chapter in Seeking Death, an investigative series by ABC15 and ProPublica in which hundreds of capital cases were reviewed, going back two decades to expose the extreme costs and consequences when prosecutors seek death.
