Friend: ‘I was ignorant’ to slaying

Friday, May 30, 1997 | 11:44 a.m.

Cash knew something had happened inside the casino's bathroom early Sunday morning. But he kept mum for a few days.

Now Cash wants to clear his name among his high school friends. But he's been banned from setting foot on campus or attending school functions, including graduation.

In an interview with the Orange County Register, Cash said Thursday he didn't tell police about 7-year-old Sherrice Iverson's death until his parents recognized him on a surveillance video aired on the TV news.

"Both of us knew that at some point, we would have to talk," Cash said of he and his buddy, Jeremy Joseph Strohmeyer. "My mom is afraid they're going arrest me. But I am absolutely innocent. I didn't take part in any of it."

Cash surrendered to authorities Wednesday night, telling them that his best friend was involved in the slaying, police said. Cash hasn't been implicated in the killing and is cooperating, police said.

Sherrice's body was found in a bathroom, propped on a toilet seat.

"I was completely ignorant of what was happening in there," he said.

"I feel terrible," Cash told the Register. "I saw her playing. She seemed like a normal enough little kid."

Strohmeyer has been arrested on suspicion of sexual assault, kidnapping and murder. He was being held without bond.

Cash wouldn't say when he learned that Sherrice had been killed.

The senior at Wilson High School in Long Beach also refused to give details of what happened at the casino in Primm.

He said he spent Memorial Day weekend in Las Vegas and Primm with his father and Strohmeyer. In Las Vegas, his dad played poker while the honor students snuck quarters into slot machines and played roulette.

"I won $21," Cash said.

They later stopped at Primm Valley, where the elder Cash played poker.

As they drove home, the two friends tried to sleep.

"(Jeremy) was able to fall asleep, but I couldn't," he said. "We were both dead tired."

Cash said he and Strohmeyer "talked about" what to do when they returned to the Los Angeles area, but he wouldn't elaborate.

Cash kept quiet -- until Wednesday night.

The pair met at school about a year ago and quickly became friends.

Cash wants to study nuclear engineering at the University of California, Berkeley while Strohmeyer talked about becoming a pilot and studying electrical engineering at California State University, Long Beach.

Both have pierced tongues and short haircuts. Strohmeyer also has pierced nipples, which helped police identify him.

The school principal has told Cash he isn't allowed at any senior celebrations, including tonight's prom and graduation on June 12.

"I am extremely angry," Cash said. "I can't even see my friends one last time. Now, I'll be remembered as a murder witness instead of an outstanding science student."

The principal wasn't available for comment, and a school spokesman said he couldn't verify Cash's removal, the newspaper reported.

"I want to clear the air with my friends," Cash said, adding that he'd like to speak with Strohmeyer, too.

"He was like a brother to me," Cash said. "Now, my best friend will probably go to jail for life."