Second murder trial ends as first one did: Guilty

Bill Gang

Tuesday, Dec. 15, 1998 | 11:08 a.m.

A man whose murder conviction was overturned by the Nevada Supreme Court has been found guilty by a second jury.

Vincent Turner was convicted for his involvement in the 1992 shooting death of Marnie Hickman during a scheme to steal cocaine that was hidden in her Las Vegas home.

The jury in District Judge Kathy Hardcastle's courtroom deliberated about three hours Monday before reaching its verdict. Sentencing is set for Feb. 8, almost seven years to the day after the murder.

Turner, who was not alleged to be the gunman, shook his head slowly when the verdict was read.

The case was sent back to District Court for a retrial, because the original district judge, Don Chairez, failed to disqualify himself from hearing the legal matters and the trial itself.

Chairez had worked for the Clark County District Attorney's Office before becoming a judge and appeared at two of Turner's pretrial hearings.

Chairez had asked the parties if they wanted him to disqualify himself, and both sides said no.

Turner later changed his mind, but the judge refused to send the case to another judge.

The Supreme Court, in the majority opinion written by Justice Cliff Young, said the law requires a judge who has served as an attorney in a case to step down.

Justices Bill Maupin and Robert Rose dissented, saying it was harmless error, since Turner didn't get the maximum sentence and the evidence was overwhelming, given a confession.

Turner had two partners, Darryl Fuller and Armond Brown, who allegedly pulled the trigger that killed the woman.

Brown was later killed, reportedly as revenge for the murder of Hickman, who was the girlfriend of a drug dealer. Fuller pleaded guilty in a plea agreement.

Chairez resigned in May as district judge and ran unsuccessfully for Congress.