Pioneer Hotel Report
G. Gorbett, D. Eliassen, P. Kennedy, J. Lentini, D. Smith, 2008
Case Study, Arson, Wrongful Conviction
The primary goal of this review is to identify the factors relied upon by the fire investigators in 1970 that led to the conviction of Mr. Taylor for the crime of arson. Depending upon the outcome of that review, the second goal was to provide recommendations that, if followed, would lead to the remediation of Mr. Taylor’s conviction. The third goal was to identify the errors in the determination in the crime of arson (and classifying the fire cause as incendiary) in order to prevent future errors.
Report on the Peer Review of the Expert Testimony in the Case of State of Arizona v. Louis C. Taylor
Executive Summary
The fire that killed 28 guests at the Pioneer Hotel had only one point of origin. The conclusion that this fire was an intentional fire rested entirely upon the determination that the fire started in two places. There is no factual basis for this allegation.
The State’s expert witness in this case relied on interpretations of fire “indicators” that they were taught constituted evidence of arson. While we have no doubt that these witnesses believed what they were saying, all of the indicators relied upon by the investigators at the time of this fire have since been proven to be scientifically invalid and unreliable.
Advancements in the fire science and investigative methodology of fire investigation have been made in the thirty-eight years since the Pioneer Hotel investigation, particularly in the area of fire patterns analysis research. Continuous (and in some cases, remedial) training and professional development of fire investigators is required. Additionally, participants in the justice system need to become better educated, more skeptical of opinion testimony for which there is no scientific support, and need to ensure that defendants in arson cases are afforded the opportunity to retain independent experts to evaluate charges that a fire was incendiary.
When the facts and opinions expressed by the investigators in 1970 are analyzed using current fire investigation science and technology, this fire would not be classified as incendiary.
In the cases of individuals already convicted using what is now known to be bad science (or no science), the Courts should consider the “new” science as “newly discovered evidence.”
The fire at the Pioneer Hotel occurred in Tucson, Arizona, on December 20, 1970. In 1972, Louis C. Taylor was convicted of 28 counts of first-degree murder and arson for setting the fire at the Pioneer Hotel, and is currently serving a life sentence in prison.
The undersigned fire investigators have been requested by the Arizona Justice Project to examine the conviction of Louis C. Taylor. None of the authors has received any compensation for this pro bono review, nor will any compensation be accepted.