Original Article Former Sheriff Agnos found dead in apparent suicide Brent Whiting The Arizona Republic Dec. 21, 2004 12:00 AM Tom Agnos, a former Maricopa County sheriff who led a troubled investigation of a 1991 massacre, was found dead Monday in Sun City West in what authorities described as an apparent suicide. Landscapers discovered the body about 1 p.m. on the back porch of Agnos' home, said Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who defeated Agnos in the September 1992 Republican primary. Agnos, 68, a former assistant Phoenix police chief, had a head wound consistent with a gunshot blast, Arpaio said. Investigators did not find any signs of foul play, he added. Agnos had remained out of the spotlight since losing his job amid public criticism that the Sheriff's Office, under his leadership, botched the investigation into a mass slaying at a Buddhist temple in the far West Valley. Arpaio said Monday that Agnos served honorably and should be remembered as a gentleman and a professional lawman. Arpaio said he was informed by Agnos' widow, Shirley, that the former sheriff had been terminally ill with a very painful form of cancer. He said Shirley released this statement: "The physical pain Tom experienced only comes close to the pain he felt watching me suffer. We had a 43-year-long wonderful, loving marriage. He did not want to put me through additional pain." In lieu of flowers for the pending funeral arrangements, she requested that donations be made to cancer support groups or organizations engaged in cancer research. Shirley apparently was across the street, visiting with a neighbor, when her husband died, Arpaio said. Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley called Agnos' death a sad day for law enforcement. "I always liked and respected Tom," Romley said. "He will be missed. I extend my condolences to his family." Dave Thomas, a Phoenix police commander and former police colleague, agreed. He described Agnos as "a gentleman in every detail." "The man was a strong mentor for me," Thomas said. "He taught me many things about leadership and compassion." Agnos served one term as sheriff, from 1989 to 1993, claiming success in streamlining management, improving training, easing jail crowding and boosting staff morale. But his failed re-election bid in 1992 was dogged by criticism of the way his office investigated the August 1991 massacre of nine people at Wat Promkunaram, a temple west of Luke Air Force Base. An apparent break in the case came when five Tucson residents were taken into custody in September 1991, four of them charged with the murders after confessing to them. But the break was a bust. The four suspects, ages 19-28, recanted their confessions and claimed that deputies had coerced them. Eventually, they won a lawsuit for false arrest after authorities concluded that Agnos and high-ranking deputies had bowed to political pressure and did a slipshod investigation. A 1993 Sheriff's Office investigation said Agnos and others wasted money and man-hours trying to link the Tucson men to the massacre. Charges against the Tucson suspects were dismissed after two Avondale high school students were charged. The pair, Johnathan Doody and Alessandro "Alex" Garcia, were convicted and each was sentenced in 1992 to nearly 300 years in prison.