Phoenix Criminal Defense Law Blog

A young man's birthday party in Lake Havasu ended in six deaths. He was celebrating his 24th birthday with friends and family when the man from his girlfriend's past reportedly ended the party with violence.

The suspect used to date the girlfriend of the young man. The girlfriend and the suspect had children together, and sources say that the suspect left the two kids with his family after he had returned from the Lake Havasu party that his ex had thrown for the new man in her life.

Exactly what happened when the suspect arrived at the birthday party is not yet known. Such details are difficult to uncover when only one adult survived the incident. But investigators believe this was a domestic violence dispute gone terribly wrong.

He is likely not as famous here as he is in his hometown, but Michael B. is the face of various hand clinics in the country, one of which is located right here in Phoenix. While he is famous for his family-oriented commercials played in Texas that advertise his medical center, the former surgeon has now also become infamous.

The suspect is charged with assault following his current wife's accusation that he was violent with her on Aug. 13. Rachel B. alleges that her husband, now out of jail on bail, hurt her by twisting her arm and pulling it behind her back.

Infamy, however, rarely comes from a single case of alleged criminal activity. The former surgeon has been charged with domestic violence before, and he also had his medical license revoked due to drug use.

We have covered the story of the three Arizona inmates who escaped a few weeks ago since they fled, and as of last night, August 19, the search for the final inmate is over. While officials were searching for John McCluskey and his fiancee Casslyn Welch throughout the country, the couple was discovered a mere 300 miles from the Arizona prison.

A forest ranger working in Apache County led authorities to where the so-called "modern-day Bonnie and Clyde" were hiding after he noticed a campfire and a hidden vehicle at a campground. Investigators ran the plates of the vehicle through their system and were able to make a strong enough connection to the fugitive couple in order to organize a team to respond to the area.

Nationwide, authorities were desperate to find the couple because they have allegedly demonstrated severe violent behavior since the escape. Their suspected crimes over the last few weeks include assaulting and kidnapping truck drivers in order to hijack a vehicle and also murdering a couple in New Mexico.

As of July 29, Arizona gun laws have changed. The rules have changed in favor of the many Arizonans who support the right to bear arms. Creating a freer environment for those who value their right to firearms has been a long-standing goal for many in the state, a goal that has been delayed due to a state government that did not align with that ideology.

Now, along with a change in government, comes a change in freedoms, and Arizonans 21 and older no longer have to have a permit in order to carry a concealed weapon. All of the changes included in the new laws are the following:

Now out on $10,000 bond, Mark Fields, 37, was arrested at his Arizona home at 1 a.m. on Tuesday morning. The arrest was the result of an incident that occurred the Monday prior involving a dispute with the mother of his young child.

Fields used to play for the NFL and now resides in Arizona, where he lives with and has sole custody of his daughter. On Monday, Fields was at his daughter's school and confronted her mother when she visited the school to drop off legal documents.

Witnesses from the school claim that they saw the couple arguing, and the argument intensified as Fields allegedly got physically violent toward the mother (his ex-girlfriend). Reports claim that Fields choked, pushed and threatened the victim. Also, their child was reportedly present during the incident of domestic violence, which caused her to fall and sustain a minor injury.

Our last blog post covered the recent prison escape of three violent Arizona inmates: Tracy Province, John McCluskey and Daniel Renwick. Police apprehended Renwick, convicted of two counts of second-degree murder, earlier last week, and we left you with the fact that Province and McCluskey were still unfound after having hijacked an 18-wheeler at gunpoint.

As of today, what was once three and then two convicted fugitives on the run, has now dwindled to one escapee at large. Province, convicted of murder and robbery, was spotted and arrested while he was hitchhiking through Wyoming yesterday, Monday, August 9.

He was captured after a Wyoming resident noticed the fugitive and talked to him at his church. The church goer later saw Province's picture on the news and called police to report his whereabouts.

With Renwick and Province now found, officials are left with the last task of finding McCluskey -- and his fiancee Casslyn Welch (who is also his cousin). McCluskey was put in the Arizona State Prison after he was convicted of aggravated assault and attempted murder. Welch's help got him and his two fellow inmates out of the prison grounds when she provided them with a wire cutter to cut through the prison fence.

It's a big Arizona story: Three inmates escaped from the Arizona State Prison last week with suspected help from an inmate's fiancee. They are all considered high-risk criminals due to their various convictions including murder and assault. 

Daniel Renwick, Tracy Province and John McCluskey somehow managed to come up with a plan that allowed them to escape through the prison's fence on Friday, July 30, without being spotted and captured by prison guards.

According to reports, Province's fiancee met the inmates near the prison's fence and was able to throw them a pair of wire cutters. They then managed to cut their way out of the prison grounds and escape the area.

Yet to be apprehended are Province (42 and convicted of murder and robbery) and McCluskey (45 and convicted of attempted murder and aggravated assault). Renwick, 36 and convicted of two counts of second-degree murder, was caught by police on Sunday in Colorado.

An argument, a pocket knife, a flat tire, a 911 call and lies all made for a dramatic Arizona night on Tuesday, July 27. Danielle Dykins was arrested at the end of the day and currently faces charges of aggravated assault and child abuse.

Police reports describe the alleged crime as having started with a late-night argument between Dykins, 23, and her boyfriend, 32. They were reportedly arguing over money and drugs at the boyfriend's house, wherein Dykins' infant was also present.