Killer at Caesars gets two life terms

Bill Gang

Friday, Feb. 27, 1998 | 10:06 a.m.

Although he had been convicted by a jury of murdering a man at Caesars Palace hotel-casino, whose body witnesses said he danced around, Richard Christopher Johnson continued to profess his innocence at his sentencing Thursday.

But District Judge John McGroarty was bound by the jury's decision and sentenced Johnson to two life prison terms.

Johnson has complained throughout the case that he was unfairly charged because a videotape from a camera in the hotel-casino's parking lot was never produced and apparently destroyed inadvertently.

That tape, Johnson has contended, would show the altercation leading to the slaying was provoked by the victim.

Deputy Public Defender Phil Kohn lamented that the case was "a tragedy" and questioned whether the 40-year-old defendant was mentally capable to stand trial, although psychiatrists declared that he met state standards of sanity.

Before his trial, Johnson spent a year at the state's mental facility at Lake's Crossing in Sparks after being declared mentally incompetent to stand trial. He was returned to Las Vegas late last year after being declared legally sane.

Testimony in the case from resort security guard Mark Hinrichs was that he watched as Johnson fired several shots into 45-year-old George Hightower and then danced around the body while patrons screamed and dived for cover.

Testimony also indicated that Johnson's mental problems played a role in the incident.

Metro Police Detective John Nicholson has said Johnson had been in contact with him since 1993 complaining that he was being stalked by a cult.

Johnson, according to the detective, said most of the information on the cult came to him in dreams.

Shortly before the April 8, 1995, slaying, Johnson approached a Metro officer working at a heavyweight title fight at Caesars Palace and asked him to give Nicholson a note.

That officer, Ralph Ray, has said that Johnson indicated simply that, "This is for the President of the United States of America."

Within a half hour of the conversation, witnesses said, Johnson walked with Hightower into the valet parking area of the hotel and started shooting the victim.

Hightower collapsed to the pavement and Johnson was "dancing around" firing repeatedly at the man -- finally leaning down and shooting the last bullet into the victim's head, Hinrichs said.

Las Vegas firefighter Joseph Baldi, who was working part time as a valet parker, recalled that as he shot Hightower eight times, Johnson calmly talked to his victim and then kicked him.

After the last shot, Johnson put the pistol into Hightower's hand, stood around for a few minutes and then walked off. He was captured without resistance by Metro officers who were working at the fight between Larry Holmes and WBC champion Oliver McCall.