Pima County Attorney Laura Conover attempted to secure a plea deal that would have allowed an accused murderer to walk free based on time served.
65-year-old Blain Beckham is charged with the 2019 murder of 71-year-old Fernando Broyles. Broyles was found deceased in his home by a neighbor, bludgeoned to death by a claw hammer.
A judge rejected the plea deal during a hearing on Monday.
Broyles’ sister Yolanda Broyles-Gonzales called the plea deal “outrageous” in an interview with KVOA and expressed gratitude for the judge’s decision.
“We are grateful that justice is working at this time,” said Broyles-Gonzalez. “It’s not over yet, but at least this outrageous plea deal is off the table.”
Broyles had invited Beckham to stay in his home, something Broyles-Gonzales told KVOA that her brother often did for the homeless and those down on their luck.
“My brother was a good Samaritan. Take in the stranger, feed the poor, provide shelter for those who were in need of shelter,” said Broyles-Gonzales. “If you see a hardened criminal getting a light sentence for having killed a good Samaritan, I think the rest of the community would think twice before doing good deeds because they say this is what can happen.”
Beckham may either accept the judge’s decision on the plea deal or request another judge to reconsider the plea deal at his next hearing scheduled in about two weeks.
Beckham has a lengthy criminal history, including multiple past instances of assault over the past decade and failure to register as a sex offender.
Earlier this summer, Conover successfully implemented another controversial plea deal when her office arranged for a nurse charged with sexually abusing a female patient to serve 30 days in jail and three years of probation.
48-year-old Jadd Sarah, former nurse with the Banner Health University Medical Center in Tucson, pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a female patient who was incapacitated from seizures in February.
Records reflect that footage shows Sarah entering the patient’s room and sexually abusing her. A probable cause statement said that the patient appeared to have a seizure as Sarah abused her — even then, Sarah did not stop the sexual contact.
Sarah originally faced multiple charges in addition to sexual abuse, including aggravated assault. Altogether, the sentencing range for those charges would have been six months to more than two years in prison.
Conover defended the plea deal in a video interview with KOLD, saying that Sarah didn’t sexually abuse the patient so much as commit the sort of “unwanted touching” that might occur in a place like a bar.
“It sounded like a sex assault had occurred, a rape, a molestation — and this was a touching,” said Conover. “I’m not minimizing this, but I think, you know, unfortunately in the world women are living in, I think it’s happening like in every bar across America every night. Like unwanted brief touching. Totally unacceptable, but you can see how if we had taken him to trial and we convicted him, maybe a six-month sentence for improper touching, and then he’s free to go about his life after that.”
Conover conceded that Sarah may have faced more time if they had taken the case to trial, but that the plea deal arrangement was better because Sarah would have long-term oversight through the probation process and was made to give up his nursing license.
Sarah may reapply for his nursing license in three years, though the county attorney’s office stated that Sarah promised in writing and to a judge that he would never work in the medical field again.
Conover later issued a statement saying that the arrangement of the plea deal ensured “a lifetime of community protection” from Sarah.
“Our highly experienced veteran team of special victims prosecutors ensured that the plea agreement would protect our community from this individual ever serving in the medical profession again,” said Conover. “[W]e traded one month for six months and negotiated a complete withdrawal from the medical field altogether to protect future patients for years to come.”
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Gov. Katie Hobbs is looking to spend as much of the federal COVID-19 relief funds as possible before Election Day and the December spending deadline.
On Tuesday, Hobbs announced the allocation of more than $16.4 million to Arizona’s three public universities.
Arizona State University will receive more than $8 million; Northern Arizona University will receive more than $2.6 million; and the University of Arizona will receive more than $5.7 million split between its main campus and its health sciences center.
The $16.4 million comes from the $4.2 billion in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds given to the state. The deadline to obligate ARPA funds passed on Dec. 31, 2024, and the deadline to spend those funds is coming up on Dec. 31, 2026.
Legal forms of obligation include formal commitments through contracts, interagency agreements such as a memorandum of understanding, purchase orders for goods or services, or subawards.
Moving ARPA funds into a general fund without establishing an obligation doesn’t qualify, however.
During Hobbs’ first year in office, she clawed back more than $210 million in ARPA funds issued by her predecessor, Gov. Doug Ducey. The Hobbs administration alleged the funds were illegally issued because the recipients weren’t subjected to a competitive bidding process. Sean Behrens, Hobbs’ senior counsel, said at the time that Hobbs was just following the law.
“We didn’t have a choice in the matter,” said Behrens. “In the Hobbs administration, we follow the law.”
Hobbs’ spokesman Christian Slater refused to elaborate on the original obligations behind the $16.4 million in a statement to KNAU. Slater also denied that the millions had any bearing on Hobbs’ reelection campaign.
“I’ll decline to comment on the processes by which we determine ARPA funding,” said Slater. “As the governor has always said, she is committed to doing what’s right for Arizona and putting politics aside.”
Hobbs said the funds were necessary to offset budget cuts from the fiscal year 2027 state budget, which she characterized as the product of “extremist” and “reckless” Republican lawmakers who she claimed were opposed to public education.
The $16.4 million matches the cuts the state budget made to each university.
“I will always fight to ensure state universities have the resources they need to deliver opportunities for Arizonans and ensure our employers have a high-skilled workforce,” said Hobbs. “ I’ll continue standing up to extremist legislators and their attacks on public education that kill jobs and make our state less competitive.”
The governor sang a different tune about the state budget less than four months ago when she signed it into law.
Hobbs announced her approval of the budget back in June with a press release praising it as “her Arizona First budget” with laudable public education investments.
“I’m thrilled to sign the bipartisan Arizona First budget into law,” said Hobbs. “We’re stopping the data center tax credit for three years, investing in border security, education and water security, and delivering a $1.4 billion tax cut for middle class Arizonans. Starting on July 1, Arizonans will have no taxes on tips and overtime, a higher standard deduction, a deduction for seniors, and next year, an expanded child tax credit.”
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A progressive advocacy group plans to host election crisis training in Arizona less than a week before Election Day.
Interfaith Alliance planned stops for Phoenix, Flagstaff, and Tucson in its “The Vote Is Sacred Tour,” a series of events across Arizona and 14 other states slated to begin the first week of October.
The Arizona Republican Party’s Latino group brought attention to the organization’s planned activities, alleging that “partisan operatives” were gathering “to rehearse election disruption.”
EXPOSING THE ELECTION MANIPULATION GAMES!
While hardworking Arizonans prepare to make their voices heard, partisan operatives are setting the stage in Phoenix to rehearse election disruption. The voters deserve transparency, order, and honest elections.
The Phoenix event is scheduled for Tuesday, October 27; the Tucson event is scheduled for Thursday, October 29; and the Flagstaff event is scheduled for Tuesday, November 3.
The organization says the events are intended to provide voter education on ballot items, voter registration, and funds to local activists, in addition to providing a “trained, peaceful presence at the polls and crisis-ready communities.”
An election crisis scenario planning toolkit provided by the organization, in partnership with Protect Democracy, floated six sample scenarios occurring during early voting and on Election Day concerning ICE operations, President Donald Trump invoking the Insurrection Act or declaring premature victory in races, right-wing claims of foreign interference and unverified ballots, and federal takeover of election operations.
One scenario proposes that in mid-October a posted video of a faith leader being violently arrested sparks nationwide protests, resulting in the Trump administration federalizing the National Guard and filing federal criminal charges against pro-migrant organization leaders partnering in election advocacy work.
Interfaith Alliance reported that it selected the location for each of the trainings based on the “2026 Election Risk Heat Map” by the Voting Rights Lab. Arizona was ranked as 87 out of 100 for election risk, with Maricopa County ranked as 100 out of 100 for election risk and Pima County ranked as 90 out of 100 for election risk.
The risk index reportedly measures counties for “close contests, bad actors, and systemic weaknesses.”
The organization previously held a similar tour during the 2024 election across six states.
Interfaith Alliance scheduled a kick-off of this latest tour with a No Kings-affiliated event on Wednesday.
Several key members of the organization have held prominent roles within Democratic presidential administrations and the party.
Maggie Siddiqi, the senior advisor for the organization, held a directorship within the Biden administration’s Education Department. Siddiqi advised former Education Secretary Miguel Cardona on religious freedom issues and led efforts to address antisemitism and Islamophobia.
Derrick Harkins, board member, was the Democratic National Committee’s director of interfaith outreach, a faith leader for former President Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign, and faith leader for the Biden administration’s Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Jake Siewert, board member, was the White House press secretary under President Bill Clinton and counselor to the secretary of the treasury under Obama.
Interfaith Alliance began with seed funding from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in 1994.
Since then, its foundation has grown to pull in millions every year: around $1 to $3 million annually since 2011. Its schedule of contributors isn’t public, though some contributors have named the nonprofit in their tax filings, including the Eula Mae and John Baugh Foundation, which gave $1 million in 2024; Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors Inc., which gave $300,000 in 2023; the Rockefeller Family Foundation, which gave $170,000 between 2022 and 2024; and the William B. Wiener Jr. Foundation, which gave $80,000 between 2018 and 2019.
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Legislative leaders are petitioning the Arizona Board of Regents for an independent investigation into Arizona State University (ASU) over the near-fatal hockey team workout that occurred last month.
State Rep. Matt Gress (R-LD4) and State Sen. Hildy Angius (R-LD30), respective chairs of the Arizona House and Senate education committees, issued a joint statement urging an outside review after ASU hockey players were subjected to a workout last month that caused one player, 21-year-old Matthew Mayich, to collapse from heat stroke.
Mayich was hospitalized and remains in a coma on life support. It is unclear whether he will recover.
The lawmakers issued their statement following a 26-page letter sent to ASU President Michael Crow from seven members of the hockey team on Monday that heavily disputed ASU’s own initial findings.
The letter disputed key facts regarding ASU coaching staff adherence to heat acclimatization protocol and workout approval policy, the nature of the near-fatal workout, availability and application of heat stroke preventative equipment and water breaks, and the timeline and treatment of Mayich’s deteriorating condition.
Gress said that an outside investigation would be the only way to determine the truth behind this incident.
“Seven players who were on that field have raised serious questions that ASU’s own review does not answer,” said Gress. “We need an independent investigation to determine whether ASU followed its own rules, who was responsible for protecting these athletes, and what happened when Matthew Mayich showed signs of distress. ASU should not be left to investigate its own conduct and decide whether anyone should be held accountable.”
Angius also encouraged the board to secure an outside investigator in order to assure protection to the players behind the letter, who submitted it anonymously through counsel out of fear of retaliation.
“Student-athletes should never have to choose between telling the truth and protecting their scholarship, roster spot, or playing time,” said Angius. “If players fear retaliation for speaking about what happened to a teammate, the Regents need to act. They should protect these students and appoint an investigator who answers to the Board, not ASU.”
🚨House and Senate Education Chairs Call for Independent Investigation of ASU Hockey Workout
Chairman Gress and Chairman Angius ask Board of Regents for outside review after seven players dispute ASU’s account of August 20 workout
The players’ letter alleged that the workout instructor and the workout plan for that day weren’t approved; the session lasted more than 75 minutes, not 45 minutes per the ASU report; Mayich and other players weren’t acclimatized to the heat and received no water during the workout; Mayich and other players were made to continue the workout despite showing signs of physical distress; emergency equipment to treat heat stroke wasn’t on the field; and staff improperly treated Mayich’s heat stroke.
The report further alleged that an assistant coach observed Mayich exhibiting signs of disorientation about an hour into the workout, but took photos and videos instead of intervening. About a half hour later, an assistant coach observed Mayich exhibiting signs of disorientation and directed players instead of trained staff to assist Mayich. Mayich was allegedly sat up instead of laid down to rest, squirted with water rather than immersed, and kept in the sun rather than removed to a shaded area.
The report alleged that some, but not all players, were only given one water break for less than a minute throughout the whole workout. Mayich allegedly didn’t receive any water.
On Tuesday, Mayich’s parents issued a statement calling for the removal of coaches who ran the workout that hospitalized their son pending an independent investigation. Greg Powers, the team’s head coach, and his assistant coaches were on the field that day.
Powers had selected the workout instructor: an Army special forces veteran named Tim Ziesel reported to suffer from serious and lasting issues with decision-making and emotional regulation, among other problems, incurred from a 2023 motorcycle crash.
“The players shouldn’t have to worry about retaliation from the people they report to every day. And there are plenty of former college and pro players in the Valley who could step in and help,” stated the Mayiches. “Mostly, we want accountability for what happened to our son, and we want his teammates to be safe.”
Mayich, a native of Ontario, Canada, was a recent transfer to ASU; this season would have been his first with the Sun Devils. Mayich was previously drafted to the National Hockey League in 2023, but didn’t sign a contract.
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Secretary of State Adrian Fontes has released key records necessary to determine voter eligibility after his attempt to blame the federal government was disputed.
Fontes released those federal felony conviction reports on Tuesday after Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap publicly contested Fontes’ explanation to county recorders as to why those records were missing.
Fontes reportedly claimed that the federal government hadn’t provided updated felony reports for about a year, telling ABC 15 that the Department of Justice (DOJ) was responsible for holdup and that Heap was engaging in “a purely political stunt.”
However, Heap revealed last week that the DOJ confirmed to him that those reports were provided to Fontes.
Heap said in an updated statement on Tuesday that he learned about the reports’ availability after calling the DOJ directly. Heap said Fontes’ delayed release of the reports has put the recorders under an extremely tight deadline since early voting begins October 23.
“After we exposed his failure publicly, the missing files suddenly appeared,” said Heap. “Our pressure delivered results for all 15 counties. Now Recorders across the state must tackle his backlog just days before early voting begins.”
ELECTION INTEGRITY UPDATE: Last night the County Recorders received years of felony records withheld by the Secretary of State. Fontes blamed the DOJ. I called the DOJ directly: they had provided the reports for years. After we exposed his failure publicly, the missing files… https://t.co/97jzy08Lwd
— Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap (@azjustinheap) September 30, 2026
Heap expressed concern to The Center Square that felons may cast votes in the upcoming election due to the delayed delivery of the records.
“I think there’s a strong likelihood that some felons are going to be voting this election cycle because the secretary of state has not carried out his lawful responsibility,” said Heap.
Heap also advised that the delivery format of records in the past has been problematic. According to Heap, Fontes’ office has delivered files in an unusable format by providing them in a PDF form rather than CSV plain-text format.
Sergio Arellano, Arizona Republican Party chair, accused Fontes of being a habitual liar and endorsed Fontes’ opponent, Alex Kolodin.
“A pattern of lies and deceit from the Secretary of State Fontes is not what AZ needs,” said Arellano.
Fontes yet again caught with his hand in the cookie jar 🍪. A pattern of lies and deceit from the Secretary of State Fontes is not what AZ needs . Submit your ballot immediately, Vote for @realAlexKolodin !! Big thank you to @azjustinheap for sticking through with this, election… https://t.co/HJ4hgABbsT
Fontes did not issue a statement addressing the withheld records. However, he did address the results of the probe into alleged noncitizen voters discovered by Heap’s office.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell reported that 52 of the 60 voters referred to her office for alleged noncitizen voting were citizens, and eight of the 60 voters were legal residents registered due to a flaw in the Motor Vehicle Department system.
Fontes appeared to echo Heap’s critical language in his statement responding to Mitchell’s findings.
“I find it deeply disappointing that others have used this moment to spread the false narrative that our elections are not secure but, thankfully, they have once again failed to provide any proof to substantiate their claims,” said Fontes.
PRESS RELEASE: Secretary of State Adrian Fontes Responds to County Attorney Mitchell’s Finalized Maricopa County Voter Roll Probe pic.twitter.com/4yTIhbdpyB
Heap said in his statement last week that he was “disappointed” by Fontes’ decision to misrepresent the status of the withheld felony reports.
“As the County Recorder for Arizona’s most populated county, I am disappointed that Secretary Fontes would gamble the trust of Arizona voters on a lie,” said Heap. “Arizona is missing at least three full quarters of felony data and voter ineligibility due to Secretary Fontes’ failure to follow the law.”
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