By Adam Gaub, Brian Wright and Shelley Ridenour | Casa Grande Dispatch
In a settlement with the State Bar of Arizona to avoid a potentially harsher punishment, Pinal County Chief Criminal Deputy Attorney Richard Wintory agreed Friday to a three- month suspension of his law license.
The consent agreement still has to go to a presiding disciplinary judge, who can accept, amend or deny the agreement, said Heather Murphy, communications director of the Arizona Supreme Court.
The suspension and prior investigation into Wintory’s behavior stemmed from questions that arose when he worked for the Pima County Attorney’s Office in 2010 and 2011 as lead counsel on the murder trial of Darren Goldin. Wintory later took a job with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office but asked to remain on the Pima County case.
The 52-year-old Goldin was accused of involvement in a murder-for-hire plot, and the Pima County Attorney’s Office had initially sought the death penalty in the case.
Goldin eventually pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and was sentenced to 11 years in prison.
Pima County Superior Court Judge Paul Tang, who made the recommendation to the State Bar that Wintory be investigated for misconduct, said in his sentencing of Goldin that prosecutorial misconduct was part of the reason the state had to settle for a reduced sentence for Goldin.
