Should prosecutors seek death against the wishes of victims’ families?

PHOENIX — Maricopa County death penalty cases have cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, even though they rarely end in death sentences.

The cost raises an important question: Should prosecutors seek death against the wishes of victims’ families?

One of those was the case against Octavia Rogers.

The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office pursued the death penalty for more than 7 years but ultimately had to stop because the court found Rogers guilty except insane.

“They had their own agenda,” said one family member. “That’s how I feel about it.”

This video report is the fourth chapter in Seeking Death, an investigative series by ABC15 and ProPublica, which reviewed nearly 350 death penalty cases from 2004 to 2023.