Arrests made in two murder cases

Karen Zekan

Wednesday, Sept. 9, 1998 | 1:39 a.m.

Metro Police homicide investigators have scored huge victories in two of this year's most horrific crimes, arresting in a single day -- and just 30 minutes apart -- the suspected killer of two local anti-racist skinheads and a third suspect in the last month's quadruple homicide.

John Edward Butler, 26, was already in custody at the Clark County Detention Center on a separate charge when Metro Police on Tuesday rebooked him on two counts of murder with a weapon in connection with the July 4 deaths of Daniel Shersty, 20, and Lin Newborn, 25.

Investigators are confident that more arrests are imminent.

"We do not believe Butler acted alone," said homicide Lt. Wayne Petersen. "The investigation is continuing in the pursuit of other suspects."

Petersen was hesitant to comment on Butler's relationship with the victims. He did say that a witness was able to place him in a car seen leaving the murder scene in the northwest desert along with at least two other people who police are interested in interviewing, among them Butler's 22-year-old girlfriend.

Butler was rebooked about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, a half-hour after Sikia Lafayette Smith, 18, was arrested by officers of the Downtown Area Command's problem solving unit at his girlfriend's house.

Smith, a Los Angeles native, has been charged with using a weapon in committing four counts each of murder, robbery and kidnapping in connection with the Aug. 14 slayings of Chris Talamatez, 17, Matthew Mowen, 19, Jeffrey Biddle, 19, and Tracey Gorringe, 21.

Detective work in the on-going investigation linked Smith to the homicide case in the days following last week's arrest of Terrell Cochise Young, 19, in connection with the same killings at the Terra Linda Avenue home.

Donte Johnson, 19, also was indicted last week by a Grand Jury for the quadruple homicide.

Metro's first contact made with Smith was in May of 1998, first by patrol and later in the same month by the gang unit for undisclosed reasons. Petersen said that Smith is "known to the gang unit."

"It was a good day for us and we look forward for more arrests to come," Petersen said of Tuesday's monumental successes, which he credited to the perseverance of the detectives involved and various citizens who bravely came forward with crucial pieces of information.

"In most cases we depend on the community," the lieutenant added. "There is no magic we can do to solve most crimes. We depend on the cooperation of the community to bring these people to justice."