RICKY FLORES - 16 yo - (2009)/ Convicted: William Inmon - St. John's AZ

Ricky Flores, a 16-year-old St. Johns teenager, has been missing since Aug. 3.





He weights 155 pounds, is 6 feet tall, has black hair and brown
eyes. His date of birth is Feb. 28, 1993. Anyone with information on
the whereabouts of the missing teenager should contact the St Johns
Police Department at (928) 337-4321.

Poster's Note: I believe the following report refers to the Missing Ricky Flores, same age, town and date of disappearance. I'll monitor to be certain but for now this is going into the "MURDERED" Forum

Three people have been charged in the death of a 16-year-old St.
Johns boy, whose remains authorities believe were buried in a shallow
grave.
Jeffrey Johnson of St. Johns and William Inmon and Storm Williams -
both of Springerville - were arrested within the past week. They're
being held at the Apache County detention center.
Authorities say the 43-year-old Johnson is charged with conspiracy
and solicitation to commit murder while the 21-year-old Inmon and
44-year-old Williams face first-degree murder charges.
Apache County Attorney Michael Whiting says the boy's mother
reported him missing on Aug. 14. The FBI recovered what authorities
believe are his remains from a shallow grave about 50 miles from town
two weeks later.
Whiting says it appears the boy was killed before his body was left in the wilderness.
Authorities have not released the boy's name.

Poster's Note: I was correct

A 16-year-old St. Johns boy who was murdered
and discarded in a shallow grave fathered a child with the daughter of
two of the four suspects, an Apache County official said.
Sgt. Richard Guinn, an Apache County Sheriff's spokesman, said he
believes Flores impregnated the daughter of suspects Melissa Johnson,
37, Jeffrey Johnson, 43.
Melissa Johnson was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of hindering a
criminal prosecution, false information and giving false information to
law enforcement; Jeffrey Johnson was arrested Aug. 28 on suspicion of
conspiracy to commit murder and solicitation to commit murder.
The body of Ricky Flores, who was reported missing by his mother on
Aug. 14, was found by the FBI on Aug. 28 nearly 80 miles away in Blue,
near the Arizona-New Mexico state line.
“He was missing for a while but we were hoping to find him alive,”
Whiting said. “We talked to several suspects who led us to believe (the
boy) may be deceased so we started looking for the body.”
The Apache County Sheriff's Office would not say whether the Johnsons'
daughter's relationship with the teen was a suspected motive.
“Investigation has led us to believe drugs and money are two issues
that possibly led to this,” said Apache County Attorney Michael Whiting.
No further details were available.
Guinn said he thinks the baby is less than a year old; the Johnsons' daughter is believed to be about the same age as Flores.
Johnson, who is being held at Apache County Jail, is believed to have lived with his wife, children and the grandchild.
Police also arrested 21-year-old William Inmon and 44-year-old Storm
Williams on Friday on suspicion of first-degree murder. The pair led
police to the body, where it had been left for about two weeks.
Authorities suspect Flores was murdered on Inmon's property outside
of St. Johns, taken to the remote area in Greenlee County and discarded
in a shallow grave. Marks on the body suggest that someone attempted to
burn it.
The Sheriff's Office also released documents showing William Inmon
was a person of interest in the unsolved murder of William Frederick
Stone in 2007. That case also is still under investigation.

A 16-year-old St. Johns boy who was murdered
earlier this month and discarded in a shallow grave fathered a child
with the daughter of two of the four suspects, an Apache County
official said.
The body of Ricky Flores, who was reported missing by his mother on
Aug. 14, was found by the FBI on Aug. 28 nearly 80 miles away in Blue,
near the Arizona-New Mexico state line.
"He was missing for a while but we were hoping to find him alive," Apache County Attorney Michael Whiting said.
"We talked to several suspects who led us to believe (the boy) may be deceased, so we started looking for the body."
Police arrested William Inmon, 21, and Storm Williams, 44, on Friday
on suspicion of first-degree murder. The pair led police to the body,
where it had been left for about two weeks.
Also arrested were Melissa Johnson, 37, and Jeffrey Johnson, 43.
Melissa Johnson was arrested on suspicion of hindering a criminal
prosecution, false information and giving false information to law
enforcement.
Jeffrey Johnson was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder and solicitation to commit murder.
The Apache County Sheriff's Office wouldn't go into the details of
what each suspect specifically is accused of doing, but Sgt. Richard
Guinn, a sheriff's spokesman, said Flores impregnated the Johnsons'
daughter.
The Apache County Sheriff's Office would not say, though, whether
the daughter's relationship with Flores is the suspected motive.
Guinn said he believes the baby is less than a year old and believes the Johnsons' daughter is about the same age as Flores.
Authorities suspect Flores was murdered on Inmon's property outside
St. Johns, taken to the remote area in Greenlee County and discarded in
a shallow grave.
Marks on the body suggest that someone attempted to burn it, county officials said.
The Sheriff's Office also released documents showing Inmon was a
person of interest in the unsolved murder of William Frederick Stone in
2007. That case still is under investigation.

A man charged with killing a 16-year-old eastern Arizona boy took
the body to the home of the man police suspect hired him to commit the
crime before burying the remains, court records allege. William
Inmon, 21, transported the body of Ricky Flores of St. Johns to the
home of Jeffrey Johnson, 43, to "show Jeff that the job was done,"
according to a statement of probable cause filed in Apache County
Superior Court. Flores was dating Johnson's daughter, and the
relationship had been a source of conflict between Flores and the
girl's family, said Apache County Sheriff's Sgt. Richard Guinn. The
teenagers had a child together nearly a year ago. Investigators
haven't released a motive in the case but are "looking at everything,"
Apache County Attorney Michael Whiting said. Four
people are charged in the case, and three of them appeared in court
Tuesday: Johnson, Inmon and Inmon's girlfriend, Storm Williams, 44. Inmon
and Williams face first-degree murder charges; Johnson is charged with
conspiracy and solicitation to commit murder; and Johnson's wife,
37-year-old Melissa Johnson, is charged with hindering prosecution and
giving false information to law enforcement. The Johnsons are also from St. Johns, while Williams and Inmon live in nearby Springerville. Williams
and Jeffrey Johnson waived their right to a preliminary hearing and are
scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 28. Inmon's appearance was rescheduled
for Sept. 18, and a judge indicated
Melissa Johnson's hearing may be rescheduled for the same day. Marsha
Gregory, an attorney for Jeffrey Johnson, declined to comment, saying
she didn't want to try the case in the court of public opinion. Inmon's
attorney, Albert Lassen, also has declined
to comment. Williams'
attorney, Dirk Legate, said his client will plead not guilty and that
he may file a motion to determine her competency because of a brain
injury. An after-hours call to the office of Melissa Johnson's
attorney, Emery La Barge, was not answered. Whiting said Inmon
and Flores had known each other for a couple of years, so it was no
surprise to Flores' mother when Inmon showed up at their home the day
before she reported her son missing on Aug. 14. Flores' mother said she
received a text message later that day from her son saying he was with
Inmon, but he didn't return home by his 8 p.m. curfew and hadn't taken
any clothing or his cell phone charger. She told police Inmon had a gun strapped to his hip. Inmon
initially told authorities that he and Williams dropped Flores in town
that night after they went to the ranch of Inmon's father just east of
St. Johns. Authorities say Inmon and Williams later led them to
a shallow grave and described how they killed Flores, burned his body
and buried it in a wilderness area. Bone-like fragments, shell casings,
bullets and tools were found in the vehicle they were in, court records
said. Inmon told police that Jeffrey Johnson offered to pay him
to kill Flores, but authorities aren't sure if any money changed hands.
Whiting said Johnson "had expressed to different people that he wanted
Ricky Flores disposed of, killed." "We think they had conversations to that effect," Whiting said. Jeffrey
Johnson and Inmon's father were acquaintances, and Inmon sometimes
stopped by the tire shop where Jeffrey Johnson worked, Whiting said.
The two also were known to be involved in drugs, Whiting alleged. Johnson
was arrested Aug. 31, and Williams and Inmon were arrested Aug. 28 -- a
day before Flores' body was recovered. Melissa Johnson was arrested
last week. Whiting said Tuesday he wouldn't seek the death
penalty against Jeffrey Johnson; he didn't say if he would seek the
death penalty against any of the others. Jeffrey Johnson and
Inmon were being held without bond, while Williams was in custody on
$500,000 bond. Melissa Johnson posted bond and was released. In
court Tuesday, Inmon's mother, Dianna Inmon, stared lovingly at her
only child, held prayer beads and cried. She said she hadn't seen her
son in five years and heard about his arrest through her sister. Dianna
Inmon recalled the days when her son gave her a crown to wear and sang
to her for special occasions. She laughed when remembering the time her
son made her climb the tallest slide at McDonald's as her initiation
into their "Silly Willy" club -- she was Silly, he was Willy, and they
had two dogs named Nilly and Dilly. "It put me on the floor," she said. "I was like, 'No, not my baby."' Flores'
slaying came less than a year after a then 8-year-old boy was arrested
in the shooting deaths of his own father and another man in St. Johns.
The boy, now 9, pleaded guilty to one count of negligent homicide and
is awaiting sentencing.

A fourth person has been arrested in the case of
Ricky Flores, the 16-year-old St. Johns boy found murdered and buried
in a remote grave in the Blue Wilderness Area in northern Greenlee
County.

Michelle Johnson, 37, of St. Johns, the
wife of one of the other suspects, was arrested Wednesday on charges of
hindering a criminal prosecution, false information and giving false
information to law enforcement.
A preliminary hearing in the case was scheduled to take place today at noon in the Apache County Superior Court.
William Inmon, 21, and his girlfriend Storm E. Williams, 44, both
of Springerville, were arrested Aug. 28 on charges of first-degree
murder. Other charges are pending against the three suspects, Apache
County Attorney Michael Whiting said.
Two days later, Jeffery
Alan Johnson, 43, of St. Johns was arrested on a charge of conspiracy
to commit murder and solicitation to commit murder.
Sheriff's
spokesman Sgt. Richard Guinn told The Independent that Johnson's
teenage daughter had a child with Flores. However, police have not been
able to confirm whether that relationship had anything to do with the
murder.
"No firm idea yet on what the motive may have been,"
Guinn said, noting that the Sheriff's Office was still investigating.
Authorities have said the three suspects confessed to killing the
16-year-old St. Johns who had been missing since Aug. 13. Guinn said
the "preliminary cause of death pending further investigation and
testing by (Pima County) Medical Examiner's office is homicidal
violence."
Sheriff Joseph Dedman Jr. said that his office was
informed Aug. 26 by the Apache County Attorney's Office and St. Johns
Police Department that a missing person case they were investigating
had developed information leading them to believe the missing person
was a victim of homicide.
St. Johns Police investigators Sgt.
Lucas Rodriguez and Detective Debbie Neckel's investigation led them to
believe that the missing juvenile may have been killed. Rodriguez
obtained two search warrants based on his investigation.
On
Aug. 27, the Sheriff's Office and St. Johns Police executed a search
warrant at a 110-acre ranch, the home of Charles and William Inmon, in
an effort to locate evidence of the missing boy. A search warrant was
also executed on the home of Williams at the same time. While the
search warrants were being executed, William Inmon and Williams
voluntarily appeared for interviews at the Springerville Police
Department. Springerville Police Chief Steve West, Rodriguez, Neckel
and investigators from the Apache County Attorney's Office interviewed
the couple.
During the course of the interviews,
investigators discovered a homicide had occurred in the jurisdiction of
the Apache County Sheriff's Office. At that time, the Apache County
Sheriff's Office took over as the lead agency in this case, Dedman said.
Investigators learned that the juvenile victim was buried in a
secluded area of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, located in
Greenlee County, between Alpine and Hannagan Meadows. Police believe
Inmon and Williams killed Flores on Inmon's property, took his body to
a remote area in the forest and dumped the body in a shallow grave. The
couple led police to the body, which reportedly had indications that
someone tried to burn it.
Greenlee County Sheriff Steve Tucker
sent staff to assist with the evidence recovery in Greenlee County. The
FBI dispatched an Evidence Recovery Team to assist in collecting
evidence from three crime scene locations and a vehicle believed to
have been used to transport the body from the ranch near St. Johns to
the burial site.
On Aug. 29, the shallow grave was located,
and the body was exhumed on Aug. 31. It was sent for an autopsy at the
Pima County Medical Examiner's Office in Tucson on Sept. 1.
Further investigation indicated the possible involvement of other
people. Follow-up interviews led to the arrests of the Johnsons.
Aside from St. Johns Police and the Apache County Attorney's
Office, sheriff's offices out of Apache and Greenlee counties,
Springerville Police Department, Apache County Sheriff's Posse and the
FBI have contributed to the case and continue to investigate.

The Pima County Medical Examiner’s Office has released the autopsy
report for a 16-year-old boy found murdered in Northern Arizona.

In
August, the Apache County Sheriff’s Office and Apache County Attorney
investigators found the body of Ricky Flores “burned and decomposed
partial remains” in a shallow grave in a remote area of Greenlee
County.

Four people were later arrested in connection with the St. Johns boy’s disappearance and murder.

One
of the people arrested, William Inmon, later confessed to being a
serial killer and admitted to killing Flores and at least two other
people.

The autopsy report released Monday shows Flores suffered
a shotgun wound to the head and that there were tool marks on his
skeleton.

The report added that “the external genitalia are
absent,” but does not indicate if this is from decomposition, the body
having been burned, or some other reason.

When the medical
examiner received Flores’ body it was wrapped in a “fabric sleeping bag
and a piece of nylon fabric with attached mesh.”

The report also indicated that, “accompanying the body within the body bag are numerous straps, buckles, and pieces of metal.”

Flores'
head was so badly disrupted that fragments of his skull and some brain
tissue were given to the medical examiner in a separate biohazard bag.

The report said a shotgun was fired near Flores’ left ear.

The medical examiner found several tool marks around the shoulder blade area.

A toxicology screen showed Flores tested positive for Cannabinoids and Ethanol.

Authorities have been investigating the incident since August.

Officials
said 21-year-old Inmon transported Flores' body to the home of Jeffrey
Johnson, 43, to "show Jeff that the job was done," according to a
statement of probable cause filed in Apache County Superior Court.

Flores
was dating Johnson's daughter, and the relationship had been a source
of conflict between Flores and the girl's family, said Apache County
Sheriff's Sgt. Richard Guinn. The teenagers had a child together nearly
a year ago.

Investigators haven't released a motive in the case
but are "looking at everything," Apache County Attorney Michael Whiting
said.

Four people are charged in the case, and three have
already appeared in court: Johnson, Inmon and Inmon's girlfriend, Storm
Williams, 44.

Inmon and Williams face first-degree murder
charges; Johnson is charged with conspiracy and solicitation to commit
murder; and Johnson's wife, 37-year-old Melissa Johnson, is charged
with hindering prosecution and giving false information to law
enforcement.

The Johnsons are also from St. Johns, while Williams and Inmon live in nearby Springerville.

Marsha
Gregory, an attorney for Jeffrey Johnson, declined to comment, saying
she didn't want to try the case in the court of public opinion. Inmon's
attorney, Albert Lassen, also has declined to comment.

Williams'
attorney, Dirk Legate, said his client will plead not guilty and that
he may file a motion to determine her competency because of a brain
injury. An after-hours call to the office of Melissa Johnson's
attorney, Emery La Barge, was not answered.

Whiting said Inmon
and Flores had known each other for a couple of years, so it was no
surprise to Flores' mother when Inmon showed up at their home the day
before she reported her son missing on Aug. 14. Flores' mother said she
received a text message later that day from her son saying he was with
Inmon, but he didn't return home by his 8 p.m. curfew and hadn't taken
any clothing or his cell phone charger.

She told police Inmon had a gun strapped to his hip.

Inmon
initially told authorities that he and Williams dropped Flores in town
that night after they went to the ranch of Inmon's father just east of
St. Johns.

Authorities say Inmon and Williams later led them to
a shallow grave and described how they killed Flores, burned his body
and buried it in a wilderness area. Bone-like fragments, shell casings,
bullets and tools were found in the vehicle they were in, court records
said.

Inmon told police that Jeffrey Johnson offered to pay him
to kill Flores, but authorities aren't sure if any money changed hands.
Whiting said Johnson "had expressed to different people that he wanted
Ricky Flores disposed of, killed."

"We think they had conversations to that effect," Whiting said.

Jeffrey
Johnson and Inmon's father were acquaintances, and Inmon sometimes
stopped by the tire shop where Jeffrey Johnson worked, Whiting said.
The two also were known to be involved in drugs, Whiting alleged.

Johnson
was arrested Aug. 31, and Williams and Inmon were arrested Aug. 28 -- a
day before Flores' body was recovered. Melissa Johnson was arrested
shortly after.

Whiting said Tuesday he wouldn't seek the death
penalty against Jeffrey Johnson; he didn't say if he would seek the
death penalty against any of the others.

Jeffrey Johnson and
Inmon were being held without bond, while Williams was in custody on
$500,000 bond. Melissa Johnson posted bond and was released.

In
court proceedings, Inmon's mother, Dianna Inmon, stared lovingly at her
only child, held prayer beads and cried. She said she hadn't seen her
son in five years and heard about his arrest through her sister.

Dianna
Inmon recalled the days when her son gave her a crown to wear and sang
to her for special occasions. She laughed when remembering the time her
son made her climb the tallest slide at McDonald's as her initiation
into their "Silly Willy" club -- she was Silly, he was Willy, and they
had two dogs named Nilly and Dilly.

"It put me on the floor," she said. "I was like, 'No, not my baby."'

Serial Killer: Vigilante William Inmon Says He Murdered Undesirables
By Pete Kotz in cold cases, drugs, homicide, serial killers
Monday, October 5, 2009, at 12:48 pm


William Inmon confessed out of the blue

It's a staple of bad detective drama. The hero cop arrives in town to investigate the slaying, only to be thwarted by the crooked and/or egotistical sheriff who doesn't want anyone meddling in his jurisdiction.

But William Inmon thought it was a staple of real life too. So he walked into the office of Springerville, Arizona police Chief Steve West to report that cops from St. Johns, Arizona had arrived with a search warrant for Inmon's apartment. West, of course, wasn't particularly upset. But Inmon kept talking.

Over the course of four hours, Inmon revealed more and more about himself. By the time he was done, he'd confessed to the vigilante killings of three people -- and his plans to kill more...


William Inmon shows police how he executed Stoney McCarragher

Inmon claims he first shot 72-year-old William "Stoney" McCarragher in an execution-style slaying at McCarragher's home in 2007. The older man was known as a crusty old codger around town, a guy who hired teenagers to do odd jobs.

But Inmon says he shot him through a window, then went in to finish him off, after McCarragher made a pass at him.


Joseph Roberts is accused of assisting in the murder of McCarragher and burning and burying Daniel Achten's body

His next victim was 60-year-old Daniel Achten. Inmon says he shot the Vietnam vet because he killed Inmon's dog and used drugs. The body was then burned and buried in a shallow grave on Achten's own property. Joseph Roberts has been charged by police with helping Inmon in the McCarragher slaying and assisting with the disposal of Achten's body.

Finally, Inmon also confessed to murdering 16-year-old Ricky Flores. Inmon told police that he killed Flores because he wouldn't get off drugs. But that rationale seems a little suspicious. Flores apparently had a baby with his girlfriend, and the parents of the girl weren't happy that she was seeing the punk. Father Jeffrey Johnson is charged with soliciting murder in the case.

Inmon further told police that he had plans to kill two more people -- one of whom was a drug dealer -- and said would have continued killing if he hadn't been caught. To save himself from the death penalty, he pleaded guilty and cooperated with the investigation.

http://www.truecrimereport.com/2009/10/serial_killer_vigilante_willia.php

Officials discuss motives in slaying of 3 in Ariz.
Oct 1, 2010 09:23 PM US/Eastern
By FELICIA FONSECA
Associated Press Writer




ST. JOHNS, Ariz. (AP) - An Arizona man went on a vengeful killing spree over the last two years because he wanted to rid society of less-than-desirable people, including a drug-using Vietnam vet, a sex offender and a teenager struggling to kick a drug habit, prosecutors said Thursday.
William Inmon faces prison sentences of 25 years to life on each of three counts of first-degree murder.

Authorities said the 21-year-old's killing spree started in April 2007 with 72-year-old William "Stoney" McCarragher, continued with 60-year-old Daniel Achten nearly two years later and ended with the death of teenager Ricky Flores in August.

Inmon, of Springerville, pleaded guilty to all three murders on Wednesday.

Apache County Attorney Michael Whiting said Thursday that Inmon's overwhelming motive in the murders was that he wanted to rid society of less-than-desirable people. He told authorities he would have continued his vigilante killing spree had he not been caught.

Authorities said Thursday that money and guns also were motives.

"This is an animal that needs to be caged," said county investigator Brian Hounshell. "He needs to be incarcerated for the rest of his life."

Inmon's attorney, Albert Lassen, said in a statement Thursday that his client agreed to cooperate with authorities only if the death penalty was taken off the table. Prosecutors agreed.

Inmon remained jailed without bail on Thursday, pending sentencing. The Apache County Sheriff's Office didn't immediately respond to a request from The Associated Press to interview Inmon.

McCarragher was the first of Inmon's three known victims, but authorities say they are investigating whether Inmon was involved in at least two additional murders.

McCarragher lived on a small rural ranch outside of St. Johns and was known to carry large amounts of money, sometimes thousands of dollars.

Inmon, who was interviewed in 2007 as a potential suspect in McCarragher's death, denied shooting him at the time and told authorities "the whole town is suspect because a lot of people did not care for Stoney."

McCarragher often employed teenagers for odd jobs. Inmon recently told prosecutors that he was working on the man's property in 2007 when McCarragher inappropriately touched him.

Inmon told authorities he talked with another person later that day in St. Johns who told him he had a similar experience with McCarragher. Inmon returned to McCarragher's property at around midnight, woke him by kicking a wall then shot him through a window with a .22-caliber rifle, authorities said.

Inmon told investigators he didn't want McCarragher to violate anyone else.

Achten, who had been missing for five months before his remains were discovered in a shallow grave on his rural property outside of St. Johns last week, was a Vietnam veteran who locals said couldn't hear well. He was known to some as "Hummer Dan," because he was constantly humming, Apache County sheriff's Sgt. Richard Guinn said.

Inmon told authorities that Achten used drugs, shot Inmon's dog and generally mistreated people, so he believed he had a duty to rid society of him.

Inmon confronted Achten about killing the dog, then became enraged when Achten denied the accusation, prosecutors said. Inmon told authorities he chased Achten toward a motor home, then shot him multiple times inside the home with a .22-caliber rifle.

Inmon was proud of committing the murders of Achten and McCarragher, but was remorseful about the death of Flores, authorities said.

Springerville Police Chief Steve West said Inmon initially claimed that Flores' had threatened him with a firearm and he acted in self-defense. He eventually confessed and broke down in tears—one of only three moments when he showed real emotion, West said.

Inmon told authorities he wanted Flores to change his life, and authorities believe drugs were the issue.

Prosecutors allege that Inmon killed Flores at the urging of the father of Flores' girlfriend, who along with Inmon's girlfriend, is charged with murder in the case. The mother of Flores' girlfriend also faces charges in Flores' death.

Inmon told authorities he picked up Flores from his home in St. Johns in mid-August and the two argued about Flores' drug use. Inmon then drove Flores to a rural property outside town where he chased him down and fired a single shot from a .12-gauge shotgun into his left ear, authorities said. Flores' body, like Achten's, later was found in a shallow grave.

The latest confessions are likely to further shake up the tiny town of St. Johns where violent killings had been rare. Last November, a then 8-year-old was charged with fatally shooting his father and his father's roommate. He pleaded guilty to the roommate's death and prosecutors dropped charges against him in his father's death. The boy, now 9, is awaiting sentencing.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9B2M83O0&show_article=1

'Serial killer' denied competency hearing
Posted: Tuesday, September 28, 2010 5:00 am | Updated: 6:49 am, Thu Sep 30, 2010.
Karen Warnick - The Independent | 0 comments


APACHE COUNTY – Confessed killer William Inmon’s lawyer Bruce Griffen filed a motion for a Rule 11 competency hearing for his client. The motion was opposed by county attorney Michael Whiting and Judge Grimsley denied the motion.

Inmon confessed to murdering Ricky Flores, a 16-year-old St. Johns boy and later confessed to two other “cold cases,” William “Stoney” Stone and Daniel Acten.

http://www.wmicentral.com/police/article_3226a5fe-c75f-11df-8845-001cc4c03286.html

Judge dismisses murder charge against Arizona man
Jan. 20, 2011 02:52 PM
Associated Press


Apache County Sheriff's Office
A 2009 photo from the Apache County Sheriff's Office shows Joseph Roberts.

FLAGSTAFF- An Apache County judge has dropped charges against an eastern Arizona man accused of murder, and concealing and mutilating a human body -- a move that prosecutors said was uncalled for in the case.

Superior Court Judge Donna Grimsley said investigators violated Joseph Roberts' rights when they interviewed him without his attorney last year. Grimsley dismissed the charges with prejudice, meaning they can't be refiled.

"The court is of the view that the flagrant and manipulative subversion of the Sixth Amendment constitutional rights in this case trumps all other considerations and that dismissal is the only remedy that will preserve the defendant's inviolable constitutional right," Grimsley said in an order this week.

The Apache County attorney's office was disqualified from the case after the eight-minute interview in February, in which its investigators discussed a plea agreement with Roberts ahead of a preliminary hearing.

A Maricopa County prosecutor took over. A spokesman for the office, Jerry Cobb, said Thursday that suppressing any evidence gathered during the interview appeared to be the more appropriate action, as cited by case law.

"We're reviewing our next move," he said, including an appeal to the state Court of Appeals.

Roberts had pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the April 2007 shooting death of 72-year-old William "Stoney" McCarragher on his ranch outside of St. Johns. He also was charged with concealment of a dead body, tampering with evidence, hindering prosecution and mutilating a human body in death of 60-year-old Daniel Achten nearly two years later.

Achten had been missing for two months before his remains were discovered in a shallow grave on his rural property outside of St. Johns.

Roberts made no incriminating statements in the interview with Brian Hounshell, a former sheriff who works as an investigator for the Apache County attorney's office.

Grimsley said that although Roberts was read his Miranda rights, Hounshell isn't a certified law enforcement officer and failed to notify Roberts' attorney of the interview. She called the behavior "outrageous" and "unethical," and said Roberts' trust in the system has been betrayed.

Roberts' attorney, David Martin, requested that the case be dropped following the interview. He said Thursday that he and Roberts were pleased with the ruling.

Apache County Attorney Michael Whiting said he was shocked that Grimsley dismissed the case without citing a case, statute or legal rule allowing her to do so.

He said a former deputy county attorney allowed Hounshell and another investigator to conduct the interview. The investigators were under the belief that Roberts' attorney wasn't conveying the details of the plea deal to Roberts and didn't want to risk that a conviction would be appealed on those grounds, Whiting said.

"Although we believe it's still legal and available, based on United States Supreme Court law, it's probably not the best practice and it's not something we're going to continue to do in the future," Whiting said.

Martin said Whiting knew fully well that he had conveyed the plea deal to Roberts, along with a rejection of it.

"I think that he's just attempting to avoid 100 percent of the responsibility of this outcome that is borne by him and his chief deputy," Martin said.

Prosecutors said Roberts and a friend, William Inmon, simultaneously shot McCarragher through his bedroom window with .22-caliber rifles. They contend Inmon recruited Roberts to help dispose of Achten's body because he was too heavy. The two dragged Achten out of his motor home using rope and a vehicle, then burned him on his property before burying the body, prosecutors alleged.

Inmon pleaded guilty in the deaths of McCarragher, Achten and 16-year-old Ricky Flores as part of a deal to spare him from the death penalty. His sentencing date hasn't been set.

Authorities have said that Inmon's overwhelming motive in the murders was that he wanted to rid society of who he believed were less-than-desirable people.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/01/20/20110120arizona-murder-charge-droppped-roberts.html

Family elated, prosecutors fuming as AZ murder suspect set free
Posted: 01/20/2011
By: Christina Boomer


ST. JOHNS, AZ - He was accused of helping a serial killer, but now an Arizona man is free, possibly leaving the state and prosecutors can't do anything about it.

Billie Schwartz was breathless when she called ABC15 to declare that her son was free.

“After picking up my daughter we come home to settle in for the evening and we got somebody tapping at our door and we open the door and there stands my son Joseph. Me and my daughter were just screaming at the top of our lungs and hugging him.”

For 16 months Schwartz has insisted that her son Joseph Roberts was innocent and now he was home, released after a judge dropped all the charges against him.

In nine days Roberts turns 24; he was facing 25 to life.

“Yes he's innocent, because there's no evidence. It's been a very trying time but we are so happy now,” Schwartz said.

“You know what, I imagine any mom is happy that their son is home,” said Apache County Attorney Michael Whiting. “But his release didn't go to guilt or innocence, it simply went to a technicality.”

The Apache County Sheriff’s Office arrested Roberts back in the fall of 2009.

He was charged with first degree murder, conspiracy, theft of a means of transportation, mutilating a human body, concealment of a dead body, tampering with physical evidence, and hindering prosecution.

Prosecutors say Roberts helped the self-professed St. Johns serial killer, William Inmon, shoot and kill an elderly man near the rural town of St. Johns and dispose of the body of another man.

Inmon had confessed to killing three people, including 16-year-old Ricky Flores.

Roberts’ charges related to the murders of William “Stoney” MCCarragher in 2007 and Daniel Achten in 2009.

Apache County Attorney Michael Whiting said he was both “surprised and deeply concerned” that the judge would let such a dangerous man free.

In a Skype interview, Whiting said he has been fielding phone calls from concerned parents in the area and said they should be worried because a killer is now living among them.

“I can tell you that the moment I found out that he was going to be out I’ve been worried as well. It’s very serious. This is an individual who was charged with first degree murder and last night, we all went to bed wondering where he is and what he is doing.”

The reason why Judge Donna Grimsley dropped Roberts’ charges was due to what she believed was a constitutional violation on the part of investigators for the Apache County Attorney’s Office.

On February 4, 2010 the investigators went to the Apache County Jail to speak to Roberts on the eve of his preliminary hearing.

Whiting has released audio of that interview.

You can hear investigators talking about sentencing possibilities and claims that Roberts did confess to helping Inmon with the murders.

Roberts had an attorney who was not notified of this meeting.

The defense said what the investigators did was violate Roberts’ 6th Amendment Right to Counsel and said their actions “interfered with his ability to represent the Defendant.”

Judge Grimsley agreed.

In her order she writes, “The court is appalled by the outrageous and unethical behavior of the Apache County Attorney’s Office.”

She added, “The Court finds that the damage done to the attorney client relationship is prejudicial and irreparable, even if new counsel is appointed as Defendant’s trust in the system has been betrayed.”

The last line sent shock waves through both the Apache County Attorney’s Office and Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, which is now overseeing this case.

Whiting explained, “What happened was the judge did something that quite frankly I don't know if anyone has ever seen done in recent memory. The last 23 years, anybody that I've talked to, doesn't remember this happening. She just took this extreme remedy.”

Extreme because Whiting said in most cases if a judge believes there’s been a constitutional violation, he/she will order to suppress the evidence, meaning it will not be allowed at trial.

Typical examples include police who enter a home on a search warrant that is not valid.

Let’s say the officers didn’t know the search warrant wasn’t valid and while in the home find something incriminating. Whiting said a judge could suppress that evidence.

This would be a blow to the case, but at least there was still the case.

Whiting said when it came to Roberts, Judge Grimsley had the choice to do something similar but instead she dropped all the charges against him.

Whiting is urging the public to listen to the interview, in particular to note how little, if anything, Roberts says during the brief exchange.

The last line of Judge Grimsley’s order reads, “THEREFORE the charges are ordered dismissed with prejudice.”

“With prejudice” means the charges can never be filed again.

Roberts is indeed a free man.

“I am not sure I am angry with the prosecuting people,” explained his mother Schwartz. “It’s the Sheriff, it’s the way the case was put together and it was such a mess, there were so many holes you know.”

Schwartz

http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/region_northern_az/other/murder-suspect-set-free,-family-is-elated,-prosecutors-fuming

Prosecutor alleges defendant misled Arizona judge
by Associated Press (March 24th, 2011 @ 7:49pm)


FLAGSTAFF - An eastern Arizona man lied to and misled a judge who dismissed murder and other charges against him, a prosecutor alleged in a request to have the ruling reconsidered.

Joseph Roberts' confidence in his attorney was not shattered when an investigator for the Apache County attorney's office pulled him from his jail cell last year and questioned him without legal representation, prosecutor John Beatty said. Instead, Roberts continued to work with and praise his attorney, Beatty said, citing recorded phone calls Roberts made while incarcerated.

Beatty said the recordings show Roberts was fully aware of what he needed to say in court to get the charges dropped. Roberts' attorney, David Martin, said Thursday those recordings haven't been disclosed to him, so he couldn't determine their authenticity or whether the alleged statements were taken out of context.

Apache County Superior Court Judge Donna Grimsley dropped charges against Roberts with prejudice earlier this year, meaning they can't be refiled. She called the behavior of the Apache County attorney's office ``outrageous'' and ``unethical'' and said Roberts' trust in the system was betrayed.

The Apache County attorney's office was disqualified from the case, and two of its top officials, county attorney Michael Whiting and his former chief deputy, Martin Brannan, later became subjects of a state bar complaint because of the February 2010 interview.

Roberts made no incriminating statements in the eight-minute interview, in which investigators discussed a plea deal with him ahead of a preliminary hearing.

Beatty, a Maricopa County prosecutor, took over the case.

Grimsley has not yet considered Beatty's motion. She rejected an earlier request to reconsider her ruling because an appeal is pending with the state Court of Appeals. She said she didn't have jurisdiction.

The Maricopa County Attorney's Office plans to challenge that decision, spokesman Jerry Cobb said.

The judge's ruling will determine the prosecutor's next move, Cobb added.

``It would not be unusual for a prosecution agency to seek additional remedies rather than just walk away from the case,'' he said. ``This is a pretty heinous crime.''

The charges that Grimsley dismissed against Roberts pertained to the deaths of two men.

Roberts had pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the April 2007 shooting death of William ``Stoney'' McCarragher, 72, on his ranch outside St. Johns.

Roberts also was charged with concealing a dead body, tampering with evidence, hindering prosecution and mutilating a human body in the death of 60-year-old Daniel Achten nearly two years later.

Achten was missing for two months before his remains were discovered in a shallow grave on his rural property outside St. Johns.

Prosecutors said Roberts and a friend, William Inmon, simultaneously shot McCarragher through his bedroom window with .22-caliber rifles. They contend Inmon recruited Roberts to help dispose of Achten's body because he was too heavy.

Inmon pleaded guilty in the deaths of McCarragher, Achten and 16-year-old Ricky Flores as part of a deal to spare him from the death penalty. His sentencing date hasn't been set.

Beatty said more than 250 calls that Roberts starting making to family and friends two months after he was jailed show his negativity toward lawyers existed months before he was pulled from his jail cell. His feelings toward Martin improved as he reaped benefits from his representation, Beatty wrote.

Prosecutors contend that suppressing evidence from the interview would be the appropriate remedy, not dismissing the charges. ``The ruling should be reconsidered so that the surviving members of the homicide victims are not deprived of any recourse for justice,'' Beatty wrote.

Martin, Roberts' attorney, said that suggestion is ``disingenuous,'' particularly when the Apache County attorney's office knew he represented Roberts and still threatened his client.

http://ktar.com/?sid=1398319&nid=6

Bar complaint filed against Apache County Attorney
Posted: 03/15/2011
By: Christina Boomer


ST. JOHNS, AZ - The State Bar of Arizona has filed a bar complaint against Apache County Attorney Michael Whiting, saying he has violated four rules of professional conduct.

The actions relate to the murder case of Joseph Roberts.

Roberts had been accused of helping the self-professed “St. Johns Serial Killer”, William Inmon shoot one man and hide the body of another.

The complaint says Whiting and Chief Deputy County Attorney Martin Brannan, who is also facing a bar complaint, authorized two County Attorney investigators to speak to Roberts in jail without the suspect’s attorney present.

The complaint says the investigators were there to try and convince Roberts to waive his preliminary hearing and/or accept a plea deal.

It was a move Judge Donna Grimsley later called “outrageous” and “unethical”.

Believing his Sixth Amendment rights had been violated, Judge Grimsley dropped Roberts’ charges and set him free.

At the time, Whiting told ABC15 he was shocked by her decision and concerned for the community.

“I can tell you that the moment I found out that he was going to be out I’ve been worried as well. It’s very serious," he said. "This is an individual who was charged with first degree murder and last night, we all went to bed wondering where he is and what he is doing.”

Whiting issued the following statement Tuesday night regarding the complaint:

I believe when the matter is fully presented to the bar it will become clear I did not prejudice the defendant in any way. I was not, nor am I currently, the prosecutor on the case (it is being prosecuted by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office). The situation arose when I was approached about investigators speaking to the defendant so they could communicate the plea agreement to him. I did not conduct legal research on the matter. I relied on the advice of my former chief deputy, as he felt it ok based on a new United States Supreme Court case. Still, I must take responsibility for the decision and face any consequences the bar may feel appropriate. I don’t think my former chief deputy, Martin Brannan, was acting in a malicious manner, but made a legal decision based on his research the Superior Court disagreed with.

The ruling from the Superior Court is being appealed and we feel the Court of Appeals will overrule the Judge’s decision. Sadly, my political opponents are taking this opportunity to try and gain a political advantage by actively and loudly criticizing me and the office. One decision with which a Court does not agree, will not stop the office from actively pursuing crime and seeking justice.

http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/region_northern_az/other/bar-complaint-filed-against-apache-county-attorney

Ariz. man’s actions lead to murder confession
He walks to police station to complain, but later reveals he’s a killer

updated 10/4/2009 12:36:09 PM ET

ST. JOHNS, Ariz. — A scruffy 21-year-old walked into the police station in the small eastern Arizona town of Springerville, winded after running the 2 1/2 blocks there from his home. He wanted to tell the police chief that cops from out of town were in his jurisdiction.

"There's people in your town," William Inmon told Chief Steve West, then suggested that West run them off.

West saw no harm in hearing out the gangly young man's complaints about the officers from nearby St. Johns. He then listened for hours as Inmon told stories of a troubled childhood, the weapons he owned, and, finally, that the officers were investigating the killing of 16-year-old Ricky Flores from their town.

Then, authorities say, Inmon admitted killing the teenager.

Inmon had hoped to divert attention from himself by sprinting to the police station, authorities said. Instead, his world came tumbling down. On Sept. 30, he pleaded guilty to killing Flores and to two other murders. He proclaimed himself a serial killer, and said his plans to kill two more times had been thwarted.

The guilty pleas sent another collective shiver through St. Johns, where Flores lived and where the two older men who were killed were well known. In addition, just last November, an 8-year-old St. Johns boy was charged in a double homicide.

In each murder to which Inmon admitted, he had at least one accomplice, but authorities say he was the driving force, motivated by a desire to rid society of those who didn't live up to his standards. Four other people have been arrested in the three slayings that started in 2007 and ended with Flores in August.

Most residents say they're tired of having the town painted in a negative light.

They say St. Johns is like any other small town, with people helping raise each other's children and crime usually of the town-drunk variety. At a news conference Thursday, Apache County Attorney Michael Whiting highlighted the numerous state high school sports championships and a streak of regional wins at the academic decathlon.

"I've had a lot of members in the community ask me to express that to the media so people don't think all we do is run around and shoot people up here," he said.

Three counts of first-degree murder
Inmon's fall began when St. Johns police served a search warrant at the home he shared with his girlfriend. Inmon went to West "because everyone says you'll listen," he told the chief. "He thought that I would say 'it's my jurisdiction, get out of my jurisdiction,' but police departments just don't do that," West said.

"He was nervous because more than likely they were close," West said.

Inmon confessed to Flores' murder after Apache County investigator Brian Hounshell joined West in the interview. Hounshell said they repeatedly told Inmon he didn't have to keep talking and was free to leave, but he pressed on.

Weeks later, Inmon admitted to fatally shooting William "Stoney" McCarragher, 72, and Daniel Achten, 60, as part of a deal that spares him the death penalty. Now awaiting sentencing on three counts of first-degree murder, Inmon didn't respond to an interview request and his lawyer had no comment.

McCarragher was the first of Inmon's known victims. He lived on a small rural ranch outside of St. Johns and was known to carry large amounts of money, sometimes thousands of dollars. McCarragher often employed teenagers for odd jobs, and Inmon told police that he killed him after McCarragher inappropriately touched him in 2007.

McCarragher's daughter-in-law, Tiffany Stone, said she was shocked to hear of Inmon's allegations. She said he was a "gritty, crass old man who had a big heart that a lot of people never saw. But he would give you the shirt off his back."

Achten's remains were discovered in a shallow grave on his property outside of St. Johns over a week ago. Inmon told questioners he shot the nearly deaf Vietnam veteran, who locals called "Hummer Dan" for his constant humming, because he used drugs, shot Inmon's dog and generally mistreated people.

Prosecutors allege that Inmon killed Flores at the urging of the father of Flores' girlfriend, who along with Inmon's girlfriend, is charged with murder in the case. The mother of Flores' girlfriend also faces charges in the teenager's death.

Inmon never drew much attention to himself in St. Johns, home to about 4,000 near the Arizona-New Mexico border. Authorities say he described a childhood growing up in south Phoenix, with parents often absent because of problems with the law or drug abuse.
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The closest thing he had to family was a dog that he had for more than a decade but that Inmon told authorities was killed by Achten.

Some locals recall Inmon working at a general store near the edge of town or hanging around a tire shop. Usually dressed in khaki-colored clothing, Inmon had a fascination with guns and the military.

When he showed up at West's office to chat, he had a head of curly, dirty blond hair that he later shaved, revealing large scars during a court hearing. He was dressed in a drab olive shirt, jeans and a baseball cap with two War II-type pins, both with swastikas on them.

Inmon's life as a serial killer is a stark contrast from how his mother, Dianna Inmon, remembers him growing up in south Phoenix. During a scheduled court hearing last month, she recalled the days when her son gave her a crown to wear and sang to her for special occasions and their own "Silly Willy" club.

"It put me on the floor," she said when she heard of her son's arrest in Flores' death.

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/33164585/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/t/ariz-mans-actions-lead-murder-confession/#.UyOuMYW0t6k

Eastern Arizona man sentenced in shooting deaths

Associated Press
Posted: 4:35 PM, Sep 12, 2011
Updated: 5:10 PM, Sep 12, 2011

ST. JOHNS, AZ - An Arizona man who went on a vengeful killing spree outside of St. Johns will spend the next 24 years in prison.

William Inmon of Springerville struck a deal with prosecutors to spare himself from the death penalty. He was sentenced last week to 21 years on each of three counts of dangerous manslaughter, which will run concurrently.

He also received three years on two counts of concealing a dead body that will run consecutively.

Inmon told authorities he wanted to rid society of less-than-desirable people and that he would have continued his killing spree had he not been caught.

He admitted to fatally shooting 72-year-old William "Stoney" McCarragher in April 2007, 60-year-old Daniel Achten nearly two years later and teenager Ricky Flores in August 2009.

http://www.abc15.com/news/region-northern-az/other/eastern-arizona-man-sentenced-in-shooting-deaths