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Inmate says prison fire setFLORENCE, Ariz. (AP)— An Arizona State Prison inmate has testified that a fire which triggered an uprising at the facility last June was intentionally set by one of three prisoners on trial for the murders of two guards.David Gomez, 19, testified Thursday in Pinal County Superior Court that Jesse Bojorquez set the fire. Heidentified Bojorquez andRoy Rodriguez as theleaders in the revolt that killed guards Dale Morey and Theodore Buckley.Bojorquez and Charles Belt are each charged with two counts of murder while Rodriguez is accused of assualt while serving a life term in prison.Gomez had been charged with murder, but he agreed to turn state’s evidence and the case against him was dismissed.“Jesse started a fire and said something about getting out,” said Gomez. “The fire went on for 5 or 10 minutes in a mattress, some clothing and other stuff.“Rodriguez, who came up, was trying to stop Jesse, and asked him. ‘What’s it going to prove?’Jesse said. It ain’t going to prove nothing, but it willget me out of this cell for a time,”’ Gomez saidGomez said Buckley arrived with a firehose and Morey opened the cell door.“The next thing 1 saw Jesse came out of his cell with a stick, and I went upstairs. When I came down, I saw Mr. Morey come out of the guard station with a busted head, with Jesse behind him,” said Gomez.He said Morey fell and Bojorquez began hitting him again. Gomez told the jury both Morey and Buckley were locked m the burnedcell.Beating of the two guards occured later, Gomez said, after Bojorquez and Rodriguez placed a hood over Buckley’s head and led him to the front of the cel lb lock.Charles Green, another inmate, said he saw Bojorquez hit Buckley with a club. Benjamin Pritchett, also an inmate, said he saw Bojorquez hit the guard and added that Buckley was beaten badly by several other prisoners after he was knocked to the floor.Gomez said bothBojorquez and Rodriguez were beating Buckey and Bojorquez pulled out a knife and stabbed the guard about 20 times.
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Douglas Daily Dispatch
Douglas, Arizona, US
Fri, Feb 08, 1974
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AR, USA 07 Jul 2020
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