It wasn’t hatred of illegal immigrants but the desire to return a favor. That’s what Leah Carson, one of the two former state workers convicted for her role in compiling and distributing a list of 1,300 purported undocumented residents, told the Utah Attorney General’s office while being questioned. It came in three-and-a-half hours of video obtained by the Salt Lake Tribune, which has reported on it extensively and posted the interviews online.

Some Utahns who have committed crimes are finding their past is coming back to haunt them – even though their records were officially expunged. While the courts may have deleted records of the crimes they’ve been convicted of, the same is not true for private firms hired to do background checks. Salt Lake Tribune crime reporter Nate Carlisle has been researching this for a story that will appear Sunday in the newspaper.

After being found factually innocent after serving 17 years behind bars, a Logan woman may have to return once again to the courtroom. Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff is reversing a decision he made two weeks ago, and will now appeal a judge’s decision to declare Debra Brown innocent of a 1993 murder. But as KCPW’s Jessica Gail reports, Brown’s lawyers say the decision to appeal amounts nothing more than a tragic case of sour grapes.

Brian David Mitchell, the man recently convicted of kidnapping and sexually abusing Elizabeth Smart nearly nine years ago, will spend the rest of his life behind bars. Mitchell was sentenced by a federal judge yesterday, putting an end to an ordeal that has plagued Smart since she was just 14. KCPW’s Jessica Gail was in the courtroom as Smart addressed Mitchell for the first time since being held captive.

A Salt Lake City Councilman no longer had criminal charges hanging over his head when he attended Tuesday’s council meeting. Soren Simonsen was cleared on Monday for allegedly breaking into the cottage of his former business partner, but as KCPW’s Jessica Gail reports, his legal troubles may not be over.

A federal judge has put the brakes on an illegal immigration enforcement law that went into effect today, following a lawsuit from the ACLU and National Immigration Law Center. HB 497 requires local law enforcement to check the citizenship status of anyone suspected of a felony or Class A misdemeanor, and makes that optional for lesser offenses. Salt Lake City Police Chief Burbank has continually opposed the legislation, but says with today’s injunction, there will at least be some much-needed discussion about how officers are expected to implement the law.

The Utah Attorney General’s office will appeal a judge’s finding that Debra Brown is innocent of a murder she was convicted of in 1995. Spokesman Paul Murphy notes that it’s the first time ever someone in Utah has been found factually innocent after being convicted by a jury.

The Utah Supreme Court heard arguments today in the case against a young woman who allegedly paid a man to beat her to induce a miscarriage. They were to help the court determine what qualifies as an abortion under Utah Law. KCPW’s Whittney Evans reports.

A bill that prevents victims of medical malpractice from suing a hospital for employing an unqualified doctor cleared the House last night. As KCPW’s Whittney Evans reports, some lawmakers say it prevents lawsuits that would cause health care costs to surge, while others say it weakens oversight.

A year after former Utah Senate Majority Leader Sheldon Killpack was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, he pleaded guilty Wednesday to a class B misdemeanor. Paul Parker with the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office says he was awarded no special treatment.