Prosecutor in Jodi Arias murder case agrees to disbarment

PHOENIX — A former Arizona prosecutor known for winning a conviction in the Jodi Arias murder case agreed Friday to be disbarred in an ethics case in which he was accused of leaking the identity of an Arias juror and sexually harassing female law clerks in his office.

Juan Martinez agreed to give up his license to practice law, ending the ethics case that was scheduled to go to trial in November.

Even though he still disputes the allegations, Martinez said in a court filing that “I no longer desire to defend the charges but wish to consent to disbarment.”

The State Bar of Arizona, which regulates lawyers and was seeking discipline against Martinez, said the outcome was just. Earlier this week, Martinez suffered a defeat when the Arizona Supreme Court reinstated the sexual harassment allegations after a lower court had dismissed them.

In the ethics case, Martinez was accused of leaking the identity of a juror in the Arias case to a blogger with whom he was having a sexual relationship and lying to investigators about it.

The ethics complaint also alleged Martinez would stare at the chests of some female employees in the county prosecutor’s office and look them up and down as they walked away. It said some female employees would hide in the bathroom, duck into cubicles or engage in busy work to avoid encountering Martinez.

Two years ago, Martinez was reprimanded by thenMaricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery’s office for inappropriate and unprofessional conduct toward female law clerks. Montgomery now serves on the state Supreme Court.