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July was a month marked by challenges, significant developments in high-profile criminal cases, and community collaboration. Your July 2025 Community Newsletter has arrived.
The Pima County Attorney’s Office (PCAO) is moving forward in seeking justice for all 8 victims of crimes that occurred in the midtown area of Tucson on June 30, 2025.
It is alleged that during the crime spree, multiple victims were held at gunpoint by 42-year-old Julio Aguirre. As the crimes escalated, Aguirre tried to steal a car from 70-year-old Ricky E. Miller Sr., who was shot in the process and later died from his injuries.
On July 10, 2025, County Attorney Conover held a press conference with the media online to discuss the high-profile case. As PCAO prosecutors were preparing their case, Aguirre was in the Pima County Jail facing charges when he was removed by federal authorities in the dark of night to proceed with federal carjacking and other charges, taking him out of PCAO’s jurisdiction. Then, on July 25th, a Pima County Grand Jury indicted Aguirre on first-degree murder charges. Other felony charges include attempted robbery, multiple counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument, burglary, and prohibited possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited possessor.
According to the federal government, Aguirre appeared to be in the country without documentation and indicated that he had been deported multiple times, most recently in 2013. County Attorney Conover says the work to prosecute Aguirre in Pima County will continue.
“As promised, the Pima County Attorney’s Office, under the expertise of our homicide prosecutors and the guidance of our Criminal Chief himself, has now produced an indictment on this matter. Although the federal prosecutor’s office continues to focus on their carjacking case, we now have an indictment for first-degree murder and many other counts in order to seek justice for all 8 victims who suffered harm on that day. We will continue to do everything possible to work this prosecution normally, despite the obstruction faced.”
PCAO has been informed via email by federal prosecutors that our access to the suspect for our prosecutorial purposes will be limited. Regardless of those challenges, PCAO will continue to exhaust all legal options to move the case forward for all of the victims involved. Aguirre is currently in federal custody at an undisclosed location.
Other high-profile cases made headlines throughout the month. This includes a complicated case involving a heartbreaking crash that took the lives of 5 family members late last year. The defendant entered a Guilty Except Insane (GEI) defense, leading to a flurry of questions about how those types of cases are handled.
In a separate case, first-degree murder charges were issued in the death of Paul Clifford. With careful thought and consideration on the stage of the cases, PCAO continued to try to answer as many questions as possible within legal and ethical guidelines. The following statements were released:
Paul Clifford Case
*8/1/25 “The Pima County Attorney’s Office is grateful that the Clifford family came into the office today to advocate for justice for Paul. We were pleased to discuss this mutual goal as we move forward.”
*7/21/25 “County Attorney Conover and veteran prosecutors have been in contact with the Clifford family and have held meetings with them and have had difficult yet necessary conversations with them that explain the actions we are taking as an office and why we are taking them. We deeply sympathize with what the family is going through as they grieve and navigate this difficult time. We continue to maintain an open line of communication and keep the family apprised of upcoming court dates and any developments in the case.
Ethical rules prevent us from discussing specific details of the case. Generally speaking, we have a legal and ethical obligation to thoroughly assess all facts and evidence, as well as the culpability of each defendant involved. We will not deviate from that obligation.
We are committed to ensuring that all decisions are made with care and transparency, with the goal of providing victims of crime and their loved ones with a voice in the criminal justice process. We remain diligently focused on proceeding with the upcoming first-degree premeditated murder trial in this case against the man who is accused of being the shooter.”
Laura Conover
Pima County Attorney
Malyn Pavolka Case
*7/29/25 “For 50 years now, the state’s most brilliant legal minds, in consultation with mental health experts, have been grappling with what to do when someone who is in a psychotic state causes something horrifying to happen. The answer to that question has changed multiple times under Arizona law.
Although significant progress may have been made, this Guilty Except Insane (GEI) case shows just how impossible that question still is to answer. Once a Court finds someone to be Guilty Except Insane, legal constraints impact the handling and prosecution of those cases.
While we do our very best to communicate with victims who have suffered unimaginable loss and harm under these rare circumstances, it frankly remains an impossible quandary. Our thoughts remain with the family.”
Laura Conover
Pima County Attorney
On July 12, 2025, Luis Alberto Herrera-Ramirez was formally extradited from Mexico City, Mexico, and booked into the Maricopa County Jail. PCAO worked with the U.S. Marshals to secure the extradition and seek justice for the victims.
In 2018, two children were kidnapped by Herra-Ramirez during a DCS visit in Tucson and taken to Mexico. The children were taken by their non-custodial parents during a supervised DCS visit at the time. Herra-Ramirez also allegedly assaulted the DCS worker during the visit.
After nearly six years, the kids were found safe in Mexico. The children were 5 years old and 6 months old at the time of the crime and are now with family members. As part of the federal media release, County Attorney Conover made this comment regarding the collaborative efforts.
“This is an extraordinary outcome. So many hardworking people from numerous agencies, both state and federal, both American and Mexican, collaborated to ensure justice was possible. I am particularly grateful to the U.S. Marshals Service for their unwavering commitment to getting the job done.”
The press release and update from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children NCMEC are attached.
PCAO recently welcomed 10 current or former U of A law students who have been helping the Criminal Division’s trial deputies with researching and writing court filings. These filings are in superior and justice courts and the court of appeals, Division Two. They have already jumped in on cases and are doing the inspiring work of The People’s Office. It’s always good to sit and chat with the lawyers of the future.
From left to right: Natalie Vaughan, Audrey Conant, Vincent Kroll, Zeina Helmy, Madison Rudd, Katie Mook, Bill “The Thrill” Brammer, Ella Spoor, Cherokee Johnson, Victoria Pagaduan, Peter Bryant
Reporting for Jury Duty
Pima County Attorney Laura Conover was summoned for jury duty and decided to share her thoughts about the experience.
I was summoned to Jury Duty, not just by any court, but by the Pima County Superior Court. The Courthouse in which all of our PCAO prosecutors and teams live and work. Obviously, I both excitedly and nervously reported for duty. Once I was finally called to the courtroom, what had become funnier by the moment turned to a serious bit.
I can’t imagine what it was like for Deputy Prosecutors Peter Raptis and Chris Alster to realize I was in their jury pool. (I am their boss. Good grief!) Fortunately, wise minds prevailed, and all parties agreed that I should just be removed from consideration. I waited to tell this story because Peter and Chris won that trial.
And, what’s more, in other courtrooms on other floors, in that same courthouse, Renee Waters also won a jury trial. And so did Brad Terrace. All of our prosecutors won all three trials that week.
Sometimes, I have the opportunity to take an intense and close look at the work of our teams. This was one of those occasions when I had a somber and devastating homicide meeting with a five-generation family, where I witnessed Rachel Stiles and Mario Gonzalez masterfully handle a very complex vehicular case.
I truly appreciate all the work done by our teams here at The People’s Office and how they produce extraordinary results for our community.
This is The People’s Office.
A Final Meeting with the Mexican Consulate
Laura was headed to a town hall earlier this week and couldn’t attend the send-off party for Mexican Consulate, Rafael Barceló-Durazo. However, she was able to make a special trip to catch him right before the party began. This is what she had to say about her experience working with Rafael and his office.
“My years of legal practice in federal court taught me that a Mexican Consular Officer of this level of skill, energy, and dedication often only stays in a position for a year or two as their career advances. So many times I noted how lucky Southern Arizona was to have someone of Rafaels’ caliber for 5 whole years. He helped shepherd his people through 5 years of extreme conditions, including migration surges and COVID. He was an extraordinary partner and expert I could rely on during some of the more difficult times for crime victims here in our community. I am so happy for him as he advances to Mexico City, but he will be dearly missed as an advocate and friend.”
Laura Conover
Ask Laura Anything!
In collaboration with PCAO and Ward 6, a town hall was hosted, where Laura shared an educational piece on substance use and mental health disorders, during which she took the opportunity to answer questions from midtown residents. During the town hall,
Laura took the opportunity to answer questions about county prosecution, city prosecution, differences between felonies and misdemeanors, as well as having an open discussion about how substance use disorder is correlated to mental health and how it is affecting businesses and neighborhoods. Overall, this kicked off the quarter’s townhalls and created space for conversation about the Tucson community.
The Pima County Restorative Justice Program works with individuals who have felony offenses with a mission of victim-centric resolution. The program provides a space through a facilitated dialogue process with trained volunteers, known as the community-led process.
The process involves members of the community who can help address the impact of crime and focus on restoring the harm done in order to offer justice to the affected parties.
The PCAO Communications Department interviewed four trained volunteer facilitators, along with Restorative Justice Coordinator Emmanuelle Fahey, to share the experiences and opportunities they have had as volunteers and the change and outcomes that have come about with the RJ Circle Process.
The interviews will be released to the public to share a more in-depth explanation about Pima County’s Restorative Justice Program and what it has to offer to our community.
PCAO Civil Division Supervisor Jonathan Pinkney serves on the Public Health Law workgroup of the National Association of County and City Health Officials and recently presented a well-attended session at NACCHO’s national conference on how health departments can work more effectively with their attorneys. He also had time to check out Pima County Health Department’s Long COVID mascot.
Jonathan was enlightened by information provided by other jurisdictions on issues such as suicide prevention, mental health, and working with homeless populations. He also joined in discussions with public health law experts from Colorado and Kansas.
Salpointe freshman Ranessa Silvas reached out to County Attorney Conover and wanted to shadow her for a day. Ranessa participated in meetings and discussions about how things work at The People’s Office, including a meeting with our communications team. Community Engagement Coordinator Maria Arey and Communications Specialist, CT Revere, and Communications Coordinator Tony Gallego were on hand. Ranessa also said that she wants to become a defense attorney or prosecutor one day, maybe the future Pima County Attorney!!!!
We recruit legal researchers, litigators, and professional staff who use their unique talents to move our Office forward. You’re invited to apply to work for a progressive prosecuting agency that values accountability, public service, and outcome-driven thinking.
We offer excellent work-life balance, great incentives, and a generous benefits package, including:
All open PCAO positions APPLY HERE
There are a variety of positions to apply for at PCAO
Here’s a look at some of the links to social media and podcast messages we’ve shared throughout the year.
All Podcast episodes are available here:
https://thepeoplesofficepodcast.podbean.com/
Social Media Posts:
Retail Theft
Hear from our first batch of San Miguel H.S. student interns who spent an entire year at PCAO learning from various departments. They shared their thoughts about what they learned throughout the year. All of our interns were freshmen.
As our new crop of San Miguel H.S. interns make their way to PCAO next week. We wanted to share some of the work from our first-ever group that took over an episode of The People’s Office Podcast.
The interns, made up of only freshmen, created a podcast episode before the end of the school year, and we wanted to share it as they prepare for the new semester.
It’s an interesting chat about what matters to them and what they learned during their time here at the office. Be sure to check it out.
In July, the Pima County Attorney’s Office held a couple of ice cream socials to celebrate the wonderful employees who have been with the office from one year up to 30 years. As part of a new county-wide initiative, employees are being recognized monthly. To our fellow People’s Office staff, we thank you for all you do and for all your years of service!
Congratulations to the first group who had an anniversary between Jan – May:
Aleah, Mariah, Jason, Donald, James, Candace, Jennifer, Donna, Shannon, Joe, Jennifer, Renee, Daniel, Magdiel, Emiliano, Sara, Laura, Alec, Jordan, Serafin, Arlene.
Congratulations to the second group, who had their anniversary in June and July:
Veronica, Emilia, Jennifer, Melanie, Anyssa, John-Robert, Samantha, Yvette, Sebastian, Maria, Emma, Edna, Marcela, Bartholomew.
The PCAO Community Newsletter is published and distributed monthly.
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You can email us at info@pcao.pima.gov.
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