Opinion ID: 1182224
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Facts and the Dates

Text: Defendant was arrested on September 20, 1984 in Kerrville, Texas in connection with Mary's disappearance. One week later, on September 27, 1984, the state filed a felony criminal complaint against defendant charging him with Mary's kidnapping, in violation of A.R.S. §§ 13-1304(A)(3), -1304(B), -701, -702, -801, -803, -604(B), -604(D), and -604.01. On October 31, 1984, defendant was transferred to the Pima County Jail. Housed in the same pod was the informant, a convicted felon. The informant, who had been transferred to Arizona from another state pending a rule 32 determination, had previously testified for the state as an informant. Although the state knew of his reputation as an informant, it did not deliberately bring the informant and defendant together. The record indicates that although defendant did not speak to the informant for approximately one week, a rapport eventually developed between the two. On November 9, 1984, the informant left a message for Detective Leo Duffner of the Pima County Sheriff's Department stating that he wanted to talk to the detective. The next day, Det. Duffner met with the informant at the Pima County Jail. During that meeting, the informant told Det. Duffner that he, the informant, had obtained and would continue to obtain information from defendant relating to Mary's disappearance. (At that time, Mary's remains had not yet been found.) Det. Duffner replied by telling the informant not to obtain any additional information and that he did not want the informant working for him, the Pima County Sheriff's Department, or the County Attorney's office. Notwithstanding Det. Duffner's instruction not to obtain additional information from defendant, the informant continued to obtain information, which he recorded in copious notes. In addition, although Det. Duffner had told the informant to stop obtaining information, Det. Duffner continued meeting with the informant to receive the forthcoming information. In fact, Det. Duffner testified that after the November 10, 1984 meeting, he met with the informant again on November 14, November 26, December 3, and December 19 of 1984, and on April 17, 1985. Det. Duffner's testimony that he did not meet with the informant from December 19, 1984 to April 17, 1985 is significant and consistent with statements made by the informant during a rule 15, Arizona Rules of Criminal Procedure, interview conducted from August 28, 1986 to September 18, 1986 by defendant's trial counsel. During that interview, the informant told of a December 18, 1984 discussion he had with defendant during which defendant detailed the events of September 17, 1984 and admitted kidnapping and murdering Mary. After the informant told about the December 18, 1984 discussion, the following colloquy took place: Q. [By defendant's trial counsel] Did you talk to [defendant] after that? A. [By the informant] After a while. Q. Did you talk to him for the next four months? A. Off and on, yes. Q. Did you take any notes? A. No. Q. What happened to all the notes that are in the conversations that you had from December until April? A. What more was there to find out? Q. More details. A. I felt I  I felt out that I had known everything that there was to know. Q. That's it, now. You really didn't (inaudible). A. No. Not from January to April. Q. Not one word about it. A. He surely talked about it from time to time. Q. But, all of it was repetitious. A. Redundant. Q. Not one piece of new information. A.  Q. Correct? A. Not that I can recall. After learning that the informant had obtained virtually no new information from defendant after December 18, 1984, defendant's trial counsel asked the informant about the April 17, 1985 meeting between Det. Duffner and the informant: Q. [By defendant's trial counsel] Now, you saw Duffner back on the 17th of April, 1985. A. [By the informant] That's correct. Q. You wanted to see him again. A. Right. Q. So, for four months you didn't need to see him anymore. A. That's correct. Q. Then you called him back. Now, you've got a new message, right? A. Right. Q. And what's that now. What do you got for him now? A. I heard the body had been found. And, I called him and told him I wanted to see him. And I gave him the last  uh, I gave him the notes on what [defendant] had said after the body had been found. On May 15, 1985  approximately one month after the April 17, 1985 meeting  defendant was indicted by a grand jury and charged with Mary's murder in violation of A.R.S. §§ 13-1105, -703, and -710. Although the record indicates that Det. Duffner and other state agents met with the informant in another state after April 17, 1985, there is no indication that the informant obtained any information from defendant on or after May 15, 1985.