Pubdate: Thu, 03 Mar 2016
Source: Arizona Republic (Phoenix, AZ)
Copyright: 2016 The Arizona Republic
Contact: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/sendaletter.html
Website: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/24
Author: Megan Cassidy

SLAIN WOMAN'S PARENTS SUE POLICE: 'OPEN THEIR BOOKS SO WE CAN SEE'

The parents of a young woman whose 2010 murder remains unsolved have 
alleged their daughter was a confidential informant for Phoenix 
police, a position that may have placed her in direct contact with her killer.

On Tuesday, the family of Nicole Glass filed a wrongful-death suit 
against the city of Phoenix for what they say were officers' failure 
to warn the 27-year-old about the dangers of their arrangement.

The lawsuit alleges negligence on the part of the recruiting officers 
and their supervisors, all labeled as John Does for now.

"Phoenix police officers who recruited and used Nicole Glass as their 
confidential informant failed to reasonably supervise her services, 
in order to minimize the risk that she would be harmed or murdered by 
the dangerous criminals with whom she associated as their 
confidential informant," the lawsuit said.

The case does not include the family of Melissa Mason, Glass' 
roommate, who also was murdered in their home.

Police issued a statement Tuesday that questioned the validity of the 
lawsuit's allegations.

"The Phoenix Police Department has been aggressively investigating 
this homicide since it occurred in 2010," the statement said. 
"Although the case remains open, to date, investigators have not 
found any evidence to support this recent claim. The Phoenix Police 
Department will remain focused on the facts surrounding the case and 
we are committed to solving this crime."

Glass' parents, Rachel and Larry, have asked the city to compensate 
the loss of their daughter's love and affection, the mental suffering 
they experienced and funeral and court costs. They did not list a 
specific dollar amount in the lawsuit, but a notice of claim filed 
earlier asks for $5 million.

In an interview with The Republic Tuesday, Rachel said she received 
word of her daughter's status as an informant a few months ago and 
from "a reliable source."

Rachel Glass said it's unclear what the nature of her daughter's work 
was or how she became involved.

"It's not like we have the details - that's what the lawsuit's 
about," she said. "Get them to open their books so we can see."

A few months before her death, Glass had been embroiled in a 
large-scale wiretapping investigation that resulted in dozens of 
arrests and charges involving drugs, street gangs, weapons and money 
laundering.

According to court documents, Glass became involved after Phoenix 
police recorded her calling a friend and asking to buy marijuana.

Glass pleaded guilty to using electronic communications in a drug 
transaction. Other charges involving a street gang, money laundering 
and a marijuana violations were dismissed, and Glass was sentenced to 
probation.

Rachel Glass said before her daughter died, Rachel had hired another 
attorney to try to appeal her conviction.

On Dec. 3, 2010, a friend of the roommates stopped by the women's 
house near 44th Street and Thomas Road after failing to reach them 
the previous day. The doors were locked, but the friend called police 
after catching a glimpse of one of the bodies when peering through 
the back window.

Both women had been strangled. Mason, also 27, had been eight weeks 
pregnant, prompting investigators to label the crime a triple homicide.

Police have struggled to produce solid leads in the five years since 
the murders.

There didn't appear to have been any forced entry, leading police to 
question whether the women knew their killer or killers. The doors 
were locked by the time the roommates were discovered dead.

In a December article about the women's cold case, detectives 
declined to comment on whether any items were stolen from the home 
but said they couldn't rule out robbery or any other motive.

At the onset of the investigation, Mason's friends and family were 
quick to point detectives to the father of her unborn child and her ex-fiance.

Mason's mother, Sandra Minjarez, said both men were interrogated, but 
nothing materialized.

Both mothers have turned to the public in their search for answers. 
They hold vigils, maintain a social media presence and provide 
interviews for anyone who will listen.

It's been frustrating having so few answers, Rachel Glass said in 
December. Her mind has wandered to various scenarios, and none of 
them can be ruled out.

"That's really the hard part, because then you suspect everyone," she 
said. "A lot of people have reached out to me and told me how sorry 
they were, and then it just, it's like, then the thought goes through 
your mind. One of them? Who? I don't know."

Informants in Valley

Former Mesa Police detective Bill Richardson said informants could be 
used for any number of reasons and could broker any number of deals 
with police. Some may talk for money or a deal on their case, others 
for revenge and others out of the goodness of their hearts.

"It just depends on the type of case," he said.

"If there's an arrest made, you're going to have to get the 
prosecutors involved, and the prosecutor is going to have to dismiss 
the charges. If information is retained by police, say I arrest you 
for possession of heroin, maybe I won't file the case against you if 
you help me on five new cases. There's a lot of options that can come 
out of it."

Richardson said it would be common for an informant and police to 
have some written contract outlining their respective expectations.

To what extent police are held liable for their informant's welfare 
is not a well-developed body of law, according to J. Scott Halverson, 
Glass' family's attorney in the case.

"Police don't have guidelines," he said. "Most of the time police 
officers use good common sense - police will tell (informants) 'we do 
not want you going out and doing independent work ... don't associate 
with anybody you don't normally associate with.'"

The topic has made its way into legal circles across the country - 
notably in Florida, where 23year-old Rachel Hoffman was fatally shot 
during a 2008 sting operation while acting as an informant. The story 
attracted national attention and helped create "Rachel's Law," a body 
of guidelines regulating how Florida police use confidential informants.

Even if Glass is proven to have worked with police, the unsolved 
status of Glass's murder likely will present hurdles for the family's 
lawsuit. With no suspect, it's difficult to draw the conclusion that 
Glass died for her work.

Halverson, who said he has anticipated this defense, said he hoped 
the lawsuit would help unearth answers in the women's deaths.
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