Discrimination suit filed in deadly 1970 Arizona hotel fire

Source: Associated Press

Discrimination suit filed in deadly 1970 Arizona hotel fire
| February 5, 2015

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — A man convicted of starting a Tucson hotel fire that killed 29 people nearly 45 years ago has filed a lawsuit against the city and Pima County.

Louis C. Taylor was convicted in 1972 and served more than 40 years in prison.

He was 16 when he was arrested, and he has consistently denied any involvement in the blaze.

Now 60, Taylor pleaded no contest in a 2013 plea agreement that set aside his original conviction and allowed for his release from prison.

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Weiss and the trial judge allegedly discussed the case privately before the trial, without including Taylor's attorney, according to the Star.

The suit alleges Weiss, who died in 1983, and police intentionally withheld evidence that supported Taylor's claims of innocence.

It says Weiss commissioned a fire investigation report that concluded no accelerant was used to start the blaze, which alone would have cast doubt on the state's theory of the crime.

The suit also says police arrested and interrogated Taylor without an attorney or an adult guardian present for more than eight hours on the night of the fire, in violation of his constitutional rights.


Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/us/article/Discrimination-suit-filed-in-deadly-1970-Arizona-6065003.php