Charges dropped against 2 men in trio of slayings

Bill Gang

Friday, May 15, 1998 | 10:19 a.m.

Murder charges have been dropped by the Clark County district attorney's office against two of three men indicted in what authorities alleged were three apparent thrill killings.

The only defendant left in the case is Tony Amati, who had been the only Nevadan on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted until his arrest Feb. 27.

The decision to drop the charges followed a ruling by District Judge Joseph Bonaventure that prosecutors could not tell a jury that Troy Sampson, 26, and Edward James, 22, were alleged to have been involved -- but not charged -- in burglaries of gun stores.

Deputy District Attorney Michael O'Callaghan decided there was not enough evidence to proceed against the pair. The dismissal, however, does not prevent him from filing new charges if additional evidence against them surfaces.

Amati, 21, is set to stand trial Nov. 9 and faces the possibility of the death penalty if convicted.

He was arrested on a telephone tip less than a week after allegations of his involvement in the Las Vegas killing spree were aired on the television show "America's Most Wanted."

The murders occurred over a four-month period and one witness said three gunmen were involved. In one case, the killer laughed as he fired at a victim, said Metro Police Homicide Sgt. Ken Hefner.

The murders weren't connected by police until undercover gang officers said they bought guns from the trio that were later linked to the murders. But Deputy Public Defender Kedrick Bassett said the alleged sales didn't occur until months after the last murder and the guns could have changed hands several times during that period.

"The murders were, to a large degree, overkill," Hefner said. "They were unnecessary and particularly brutal. The victims were minding their own business."

On Aug. 29, 1996, 22-year-old Keith Dyer was walking a teen-age fellow employee from Pizza Hut to her apartment when they were approached by three men outside 4995 S. Maryland Parkway. There was a shout and one of them opened fire, the teenager told police. Dyer died at the scene. The woman suffered a minor wound to her leg.

Three months earlier, on May 27, 1996, Michael John Matta, 27, was rummaging through Dumpsters in a condominium complex in the 5100 block of Gray Lane, near Hacienda Avenue and Maryland Parkway, when he was shot to death.

The third incident occurred July 28, 1996, when John Garcia, 48, was shot in the head in his garage at 5147 Greene Lane, near Tropicana Avenue and Maryland Parkway.

It wasn't until Oct. 3, 1996, that gang detectives said they bought guns from the trio. The guns allegedly were stolen from a gun shop the night before the first murder, Hefner said. A follow-up investigation led to the recovery of several dozen weapons at the homes of Amati and James, Hefner said.