Jury to consider death penalty in 5 Ariz. murders

PHOENIX – A jury that convicted an Arizona man of five counts of murder and other charges in the 2006 killings of an extended Mesa, Ariz., family has found aggravating circumstances exist to consider the death penalty.

Maricopa County Superior Court says the penalty phase against 34-year-old William Craig Miller begins Sept. 7.

In addition to five counts of first-degree murder, the jury found Miller guilty Monday of four counts of solicitation of first-degree murder and one count of burglary.

He was convicted of fatally shooting 30-year-old Steven Duffy and Duffy's girlfriend, 32-year-old Tammy Lovell. Both were former employees of Miller's who were police informants against him in a 2005 arson case.

Also killed were Duffy's brother, 18-year-old Shane Duffy, and Lovell's children — 15-year-old Cassandra and 10-year-old Jacob.