Statistics About Mental Health and Crime
Based on public opinion, many people believe that crime is almost always linked to mental illness. This does not always prove to be true, as most people with psychiatric disorders are not violent. In fact, only 3%-5% of violent acts can be attributed to individuals living with a serious mental illness. This article will distinguish […]
Mental Health in the Spotlight in Drowning Case
A young mother in Avondale faces murder charges for the death of her two-year-old twin boys. The woman, who suffers from manic-depression, psychosis, and schizophrenia, told police that she drowned her boys in a bathtub because “nobody loved them and nobody loved her.” She claimed that she did not want her children to live a […]
Insanity Defense is Not for Everyone
Recently in Arizona, a jury rejected a Phoenix man’s insanity defense. The man was charged with shooting and killing his half-brother and his half-brother’s son. Allegedly, the man shot his half-brother in a drug dealing dispute, and then kidnapped and shot the 6-year-old son because the boy either witnessed or heard his father’s death. The […]
2 Arizona Men Arrested in Sting Operation for Attempting to Buy Female Slaves
In a sting operation set up by the FBI, four men were sentenced to long prison terms and hefty fines after being exposed as prepared and eager to subject woman to a lifetime of torture, abuse, and hard work. The sting began when the FBI gained access to an internet site that offered users the […]
Theater Shooting Trial Puts Mental Health in Spotlight
Almost 3 years ago, James Holmes, now 27, opened fire on a theater full of people during the midnight showing of “The Dark Knight Rises” in Aurora, Colorado. 12 people were killed in the shooting, and 70 people were injured. Holmes does not deny the crime, but has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. […]
Violent Kids Stress Loving Families
Here in Arizona, there are not many places to turn if you have a violent child. Whether the violence is caused by mental illness, developmental disabilities, autism, brain injuries, or a combination of these factors, the task of helping these children is generally passed around from one person or organization to the next. With no […]
Bank Robbery Suspect Shot in Buckeye
Is it a sign of a depressed economy or just an absence of morals that leads an individual to rob a bank? One suspected bank robber will never be able to answer that question after he allegedly robbed a Buckeye bank. The Arizona Department of Public Safety Officer reported that on the afternoon of March […]
Mesa Woman Arrested in Homicide Case
On March 21, Mesa Police officers were called to a Mesa apartment complex near Southern Avenue and Dobson Road after receiving reports of a fight. When officers arrived at the apartment, they found signs of a struggle, including blood inside the apartment. At that time, officers were concerned the missing apartment resident, Vanessa Mendoza, was […]
Glendale Police Arrest Seventy-three Suspected Gang Members
The Department of Homeland Security assisted the Glendale Police Department in Operation Neighborhood Guardian, an investigation that brought down a city criminal street gang that has operated in the area for more than thirty years. Glendale Police report a 2010 murder began their investigation into the street gang known as Grandel. This criminal gang actually […]
Three Men Arrested in Fatal Drug Deal
The state of Arizona has a statutory law known as the felony murder rule. The felony murder rule holds that a murder that occurs during the course of or in the immediate flight from, the commission of specific crimes is considered murder in the first degree. Unfortunately for three valley men, when one member of […]
