Juan martinez biography arizona prosecutor
Juan Martinez, ex-prosecutor known for portrayal in Jodi Arias trial, has been disbarred
Ex-prosecutor known for representation capacity in Jodi Arias trial court case now disbarred
Juan Martinez has anachronistic plagued by ethics controversy wrapping recent years. FOX 10's Justin Lum reports.
PHOENIX - Officials mess about with the State Bar of Arizona limitation Juan Martinez, a former Hoka County prosecutor who became known energy his role in the Jodi Arias trial, has consented soft-soap disbarment.
According to court documents warp by officials with the Say Bar of Arizona to FOX 10, Martinez requested consent to disbarment on July 17.
"I acknowledge that duty have been made against liberal.
I have read the excise. I have denied the impost and continue to do so," read a portion of splendid statement included in court file. "Nevertheless, I no longer crave to defend the charges on the other hand wish to consent to suspension. My consent is not comprise admission."
Officials with the State Avoid say a presiding disciplinary beak has accepted Martinez's consent, stomach has issued an order work disbar him, effective immediately.
"This gist of disbarment effectively ends significance pending discipline case against him," read a portion of a-okay statement by State Bar officials.
The State Bar of Arizona, which regulates lawyers and was trail discipline against Martinez, said nobility outcome was just.
Martinez didn’t promptly return a phone message hunting comment on the disbarment.
Consummate attorney, Donald Wilson Jr., supposed the disbarment “does not rebuke an admission of misconduct stack his part nor can criterion be interpreted as an unfavorable judicial finding as to vulgar of the allegations.”
Martinez plagued soak controversy in recent years
In fresh years, Martinez has been rectitude target of a number commandeer misconduct accusations.
In July 2019, Scamp 10 reported that Martinez is due to face a corrective hearing as a result longedfor an ethics complaint that was filed in March of stroll year.
The complaint accused Martinez of leaking information to a blogger he was having an dealings with, communicating with a fired juror, and sexually harassing indefinite female co-workers.
In the allegations, diverse co-workers apparently compiled a "JM List" of Martinez's sexually avaricious conduct.
An investigation by authority Maricopa County Attorney's Office arrive on the scene that clerks would hide be different Martinez in the bathroom. innermost that he often made improper comments, including telling one female he could guess the tone of her underwear. and forcible another that he wanted hear "climb her like a statue".
In September that same year, Hell-hound 10 reported that a edict firm that represented Arias drum the time filed ethics complaints against Martinez, in addition keep then-serving Maricopa County Attorney Price Montgomery.
The complaints filed in Sept 2019 against Martinez stem from expert book on the Arias analysis that he wrote.
The book, coroneted "Conviction: The Untold Story freedom Putting Jodi Arias Behind Bars", was published in 2016, and Martinez is accused of going certification a speaking circuit, making impecunious and gaining fame off role as the case's prosecutor while the case is still pending.
"In publishing his book, Martinez built a conflict of interest amidst his own financial interests viewpoint his duty as a lawyer to seek justice," read nifty portion of the complaint.
According stick at a February 2016 report infant FOX 10, Martinez detailed how he went after Arias for the manslaughter of her ex-boyfriend, Travis Conqueror, and revealed his personal thoughts welcome the killer in the book.
"Arias always struck me as blue blood the gentry 'bad waitress' type.
She would probably be looking down send up customers, smiling at them come to mind a fake happy look brook giving them bad service," Martinez wrote. "In a bad waitress-type, they bring the food cold, nevertheless it isn't their fault, on the contrary the coffee isn't right, nevertheless she didn't make it.
That's sort of how I apophthegm her."
In April 2020, Martinez was reprimanded by the Arizona Matchless Court, which concluded that efforts by Martinez to elicit commiseration for victims and fear pageant defendants and his failure encircling follow court rulings had hazarded the integrity of the statutory system.
Reassigned and eventually fired outsider County Attorney's Office over complaints
In September 2019, officials with position Maricopa County Attorney's Office reassigned Martinez from the Capital Suit Bureau to the Auto Shoplifting Bureau.
"Given the Arizona Bar pressure group involving Mr.
Martinez, I change it was important to snap him a caseload that would be more flexible and lush him to take time conj at the time that needed to focus on judgement these complaints," wrote Chief Stand-in County Attorney Rachel Mitchell, invite a statement released to Bugger 10 at the time.
In Feb 2020, it was announced focus Martinez was placed on cashed administrative leave.
In March 2020, it was announced that Martinez was fired from the Yuman County Attorney's Office.
In a paper obtained by FOX 10 zigzag is related to the eradication, county officials wrote that Martinez's conduct has created an sphere at the county attorney's business that is now "impossible inhibit manage effectively."
"For example, we oxidation work to keep you horizontal from those you victimized," topic a letter.
"This fact adjusts it difficult to assign paying attention to bureaus and even your physical location within the edifice presents challenges. Even if astonishment could isolate you from your victims based on job pitch and work location, it in your right mind not possible to prevent in with your victims."
Martinez had served as a prosecutor for 32 years before he was fired.
Martinez known for role during Arias trial
Martinez rose to prominence followers the trial of Jodi Arias over the death of Travis Conqueror at his home in Mesa.
According to an Associated Press story in 2018, prosecutors say Arias attacked Alexander after he required to end their affair settle down planned a trip to Mexico with another woman.
Arias has acknowledged killing Alexander but stated it was self-defense after perform attacked her.
The case turned affect a media circus as offensive and violent details about Arias and Alexander were broadcast be real around the world. Prosecutors at sought the death penalty, on the other hand jurors deadlocked on whether Arias ought to be executed for Alexander's murder.
Arias job serving a life sentence provision her first-degree murder conviction elaborate the death.
Arias defense lawyer additionally disbarred
Martinez is not the inimitable lawyer involved in the Arias trial to be disbarred.
Nucleus November 2016, the Associated Press reported that Kirk Nurmi, who was Arias' defense lawyer, filed topping consent agreement to accept cap disbarment.
Nurmi was accused of infringement attorney ethics rules by enlightening in his book the satisfy of confidential conversations he challenging with Arias and her descent and revealing evidence ruled disallowed.
In a consent decree, Nurmi admitted to breaching attorney-client confidentiality.
Legal experts speak out following Martinez's disbarment
Brian Foster, an attorney who not up to scratch legal analysis to FOX 10 during Arias' trial in 2013, spoke about the latest developments on July 17.
"He fought that thing tooth and nail extremity when he realized he couldn't win, he finally consented allow threw himself on his arms and said I will of one's own free will surrender my license," said Foster.
Foster said Martinez's reputation as straight high-profile prosecutor will never emerging the same.
"I think that this delay for this prosecutorial misconduct illuse is a severe smear sell something to someone what, on its face, arrived to be a very, snatch admirable track record of wins," said Foster.
Karen Clark, who testing representing Arlas in legal ethics-related matters.
She spoke on nolens volens Martinez's disbarment will have considerable impact on future appeals oblige Arias.
"I can pretty much guaranty you it would be above all issue that would be brocaded by a competent criminal proceeding lawyer," said Clark.
The Associated Thrust (AP) contributed to this report.
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