TUCSON, Ariz. — The defendant convicted of beating a University of Arizona professor to death and dumping the victim's body in a wash has had his death sentence reinstated by the Arizona Supreme Court.
Beau J. Greene was sentenced to death in 1996 after he was found guilty of murdering Roy Johnson and using the music professor's credit cards to go on a spending spree.
Johnson's body was found in a wash located in south Tucson, four days after he was reported missing.
On April 14, the Arizona Supreme Court reversed a lower court's order and affirmed his death sentence. The superior court had vacated his sentence after Greene sought relief following legal changes to Arizona's capital punishment laws.
After the state revised which types of violent crimes can qualify for the death penalty, Greene argued his sentence should be modified.
But the justices believe that if Greene committed the same murder today, he would still be eligible for the death penalty.
"Greene is therefore incorrect in concluding that the legislature 'abolished' the death penalty for his criminal conduct and the superior court erred in concluding likewise," the court's ruling states.
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“The Valley” is what locals call the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is considered the largest metropolitan area in the Southwest.
The Valley is made up of various major cities other than Phoenix, including:
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