HENTOFF LAW OFFICE BLOG

Friends not surprised suspect is talkative

Dan Shearer and Senta Scarborough
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 5, 2006 12:00 AM

"Do you know who I am?"

William Craig Miller seemed to ask the question of anyone who would listen since he was named an investigative lead a week after five people were gunned down in their Mesa home Feb. 21.

When most murder suspects would be hunkered down behind an army of lawyers, Miller routinely met with the media camped at the end of his driveway in north Scottsdale.

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"Phoenix criminal defense attorney Nicholas Hentoff, who is not involved in the case, said that when people in Miller's situation talk, "it's a really early indication that your client isn't going to follow your advice."

"It's never a good idea to have your client speak to anybody - the press, friends, relatives - particularly in the pre-charging phase," he said."

"I don't think that a client can ever help themselves by talking as much as he has."

JOHN FUND ON THE TRAIL: Taliban Man at Yale

University officials are embarrassed--but not embarrassed enough.

Monday, March 6, 2006 12:01 a.m.

Are there no limits to how arrogant and out-of-touch America's Ivy League schools can get? Last week it emerged that Sayed Rahmatullah Hashemi, former deputy foreign secretary of the Taliban, is now a student at Yale while at the same time the school continues to block ROTC training from its campus and argues for the right of its law school to exclude military recruiters. King George's troops played the music to "The World Turned Upside Down" as they surrendered at Yorktown. Perhaps the Ivy League should adopt that tune as they surrender all vestiges of common sense.

Ex-Officers Charged in Robbing Drug Houses

By JEREMIAH MARQUEZ
ASSOCIATED PRESS

LOS ANGELES (AP) - They cased homes containing drugs, money and weapons like suspects in any other robbery ring, prosecutors say.

But instead of donning ski masks and stealing through windows in the dead of night, the robbers allegedly wore police uniforms and badges as they carried out raids that authorities say were intended to appear like official law enforcement searches. Five of the suspects were sworn officers at the time.

Ex-officer files discrimination suit

Man calls work environment hostile

Sarah Muench
The Arizona Republic
Feb. 22, 2006 12:00 AM

CHANDLER - A former Chandler police officer is suing the city and his former boss on grounds that he was discriminated against while on the force.

Will Russell, who is of Cherokee and Comanche ancestry, claims in a federal complaint that he experienced a racially hostile work environment since 1998 that included racist jokes and derogatory comments from his direct supervisor, Chandler police Sgt. Dale Walters.

In the lawsuit, Russell, who said he left Chandler police in 2004, alleges that the city failed to "meaningfully investigate" his complaints and attempted to conceal the problem and retaliate.

Russell's attorney, Nick Hentoff, said Russell filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, but was then retaliated against and felt he was forced to quit.

"It's the treatment he received from the city of Chandler," Hentoff said. "It changed his outlook on whether he wanted to work for law enforcement."
Russell now has his own investigative services business, Hentoff said.

Chandler police officials said Tuesday that they had not seen the lawsuit and could not comment.

A court date has not yet been set.

Exclusive: "20th Hijacker" Claims That Torture Made Him Lie

Mohammad al-Qahtani, held in Guantanamo and touted by the U.S. as a major informant, is taking it all back, his lawyer says. PLUS: for the first time, TIME.com publishes a secret, 84-page record of his interrogation