Charges Dismissed in Prison Death Plot

A Phoenix judge dismissed charges against three men who allegedly plotted to kill the Arizona prison director after the main witness refused to answer questions during cross-examination. When asked about killings he committed while a member of the Mexican Mafia prison gang, the witness refused to testify unless he was granted immunity. Prosecutors denied the request, and Judge Gregory Martin dismissed the case. The witness, Carlos Velez, said he and defendant John Alday twice were within moments of gunning down Corrections Department Director Terry Stewart last summer in a plot directed by two other defendants.