The Case: State of Arizona, Prosecution Vs. Penner, Defendant BRIEF CASE SUMMARY: Detective Quinn Penner was a veteran member of the Phoenix Police Department. On May 24, 2013, Detective Penner encountered Orson Hayes, a repeat criminal offender and suspected drug dealer. Penner thwarted Hayes’s attempt to rob a bank, but ultimately Hayes escaped arrest. The following evening, Orson Hayes was shot and killed in the alley of a local bar. According to eyewitness testimony from the victim’s cousin, Lee Hayes, Quinn Penner was the murderer. Penner’s friend Jamie Spalding confirms that Penner was in the vicinity on the night of the murder and had the opportunity to commit the crime. Quinn Penner claims innocence, and Police Officer and eyewitness Andy Hodges supports Penner’s story. The State of Arizona, in this case, is prosecuting Officer Quinn Penner for the murder of Orson Hayes. Prosecution Witness 1: AFFIDAVIT OF LEE HAYES 1 After being duly sworn upon oath, Lee Hayes hereby deposes and states as follows: 2 My name is Lee and I was born May 20, 1990. Since 1996 I have lived in Phoenix, 3 Arizona. My parents are both journalists who work for National Geographic. They married after 4 they met on safari in Africa. They’re pretty famous and move frequently for their jobs. When I 5 was little they brought me along with them, but when I got to be school age, they wanted me to 6 have a more stable home life. So my aunt and uncle have taken care of me since I was six. 7 My aunt and uncle are in the restaurant business. After years of working for others, in 8 2002 they finally bought a place of their own: the popular local hangout “Shiny Diner.”
92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 I wasn’t worried by Lee’s accusation, though, because I knew the evidence reveal that Lee was making it all up. It’s just crazy to think that an exemplary officer like Detective Penner would murder Hayes in cold blood. That’s why I couldn’t believe it when Detective Penner was charged with the crime. I knew Cochran would be thrilled with what was happening, and indeed he was, but I couldn’t understand why the police chief would believe such an outrageous claim. Maybe he felt threatened by Penner’s success? Several other officers seem happy to join the bandwagon against Detective Penner, too, but they were mainly the officers who have been jealous of Penner’s record. It’s distressing to see, to say the least. Lee Hayes has even been offered a plea deal to testify against Detective Penner. I now can understand Detective Penner’s disgust at the way our legal system sometimes fails to pursue the truth in its zeal to punish someone for a crime. I plan to stay here in Phoenix to support Detective Penner and make sure everyone knows that s/he is innocent. But after this all finishes, I think I’ll look for a position in New Mexico, because I just can’t stand the way some officers have turned on Penner, like a pack of dogs attacking an injured member of the group. It’s pretty disgusting. I hereby attest to having read the above statement and swear or affirm it to be my own. I also swear or affirm to the truthfulness of its content. Before giving this statement, I was told it should contain everything I knew that may be relevant to my testimony and I followed those instructions. I also understand that I can and must update this affidavit if anything new occurs to me until the moment before opening statements begin in this case. Andy Hodges Andy Hodges Beverly Bryson Beverly Bryaon, Notary Publi