Boyfriend convicted in child abuse death of girl, 2

Thursday, April 29, 1999 | 11:36 a.m.

The jury in the trial of Emery Nelson Slayden was told it had a simple job because the killer of 2-year-old Yazmine Dorum could be just one of two people: the defendant or the girl's mother, Sandy Dorum.

After less than three hours of deliberations Wednesday, the eight-woman, four-man jury agreed that 27-year-old Slayden was the culprit. He was found guilty of child abuse with substantial bodily harm and first-degree murder in the Dec. 13, 1997, killing of the North Las Vegas toddler.

The jury will consider Friday whether to recommend Slayden get 50 years in prison with eligibility for parole after 20 years, life in prison with the possibility of parole after serving 20 years or life without the possibility of parole.

The quick return of the verdict "probably shows that they were certainly satisfied with the evidence that was presented," Deputy District Attorney Bill Kephart said after the verdict was read in the courtroom of Chief District Judge Lee Gates.

In Nevada, if a death is caused as a result of child abuse, it automatically is first-degree murder. The jury could have decided on a second-degree murder conviction if it could not determine that child abuse was the cause of death.

"The evidence is uncontroverted. This child died of child abuse -- shaken baby syndrome," Kephart said during closing arguments Wednesday.

Evidence presented by Dorum, 21, and two other mothers -- Slayden's ex-girlfriends -- showed that he liked to "pick up children, shake them, slam them against walls, beat them, whip them, head butt them," he told the jury.

Slayden's attorney, Kristina Wildeveld, during her closing argument, offered jurors another possibility.

She noted that Sandy Dorum gave various statements to police and did not settle on the one that authorities believed until after Metro Police detectives spent two hours talking with her about shaken baby syndrome.

She argued that Slayden was at work when the child suffered the head injury that killed her and that "only Sandy was at home with Yazmine that day. When he (Slayden) came home from work, Yazmine was lifeless on the bed.

"The investigation into this case was conducted with blinders on, with tunnel vision on Emery Slayden," Wildeveld said.

Wildeveld admitted that "Mr. Slayden has some bizarre methods of discipline," but that did not mean he committed murder. She called what happened a tragedy but said "a bigger tragedy would be for the wrong person to be convicted."

"This is simple for you -- there's only two people, Sandy or the defendant," Monroe responded. "For two years and eight months of her life, Yazmine had no problems living with her mother. Four to five weeks after (Slayden) moved in, she was dead.

During the trial it was alleged that Yazmine had been slammed into walls and doors, thrown onto her bed and forced to take cold showers. The child also suffered a broken leg, which led to the additional charge of child abuse with substantial bodily harm against Slayden.