Second suspect stands trial in multiple slaying

Bill Gang

Monday, Aug. 30, 1999 | 11:46 a.m.

The trial of the second of three teenagers charged in the execution slaying of four young men a year ago is set to begin today, and prosecutors are seeking the death penalty although he is not believed to be the shooter.

Prosecutors charge that Terrell Cochise Young, 19, was a principal player in the drug-driven massacre of the men -- Jeffrey Biddle, 19, Tracey Gorringe, 20, Matthew Mowen, 19, and Peter Talamantez, 17 -- who were bound and gagged with duct tape before single bullets were fired into their heads.

Before jury selection begins, however, District Judge Joseph Pavlikowski must rule on a motion by Young to dismiss the murder charges.

Last week the judge refused to delay the trial or replace defense attorneys because of claims by Young and his supporters -- who protested outside the county courthouse before the court session -- that the defendant can't communicate with the lawyers.

The claim is that Young speaks an African-American dialect similar to ebonics, although the lawyers have not complained that there is a comprehension problem.

The first of the three defendants, 19-year-old Sikia Smith, was convicted in June of first-degree murder for his role in the Aug. 14, 1998, incident in a house on Terra Linda Avenue, near Nellis Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue.

While prosecutors had sought the death penalty for him, testimony at the trial indicated he was of marginal intelligence and only involved in searching the house for the large quantity of drugs and $6,000 in cash that was supposed to be there.

The jury concluded that Smith deserved a life prison term with no chance for parole.

After his apprehension Smith confessed to police, and that statement had made the question of guilt an easy one for the jury to answer. In his confession, he said the story of a cache of drugs and thousands in cash was untrue, and the bandits walked away with only $240, a videocassette recorder and a few pills.

Young also has given statements to police admitting his involvement in both the planning and implementation of the robbery and murder scheme, and the jury will hear that confession.

Smith stated to police that death was always intended for the four victims because they knew the bandits and might have retaliated had they been allowed to live.

Smith had detailed how, as the trio was preparing to leave, Johnson turned up the volume on a stereo and then stood over each victim and fired shots with a .380-caliber semi-automatic pistol.

The alleged triggerman, 19-year-old Donte Johnson, is to stand trial early next year.

A fourth suspect, who Young and Smith said was the instigator of the robbery and massacre, has not been charged because of reported problems with evidence.

Johnson was the first to be arrested after his fingerprint was found at the murder scene. Police later recovered a pair of his pants with spatters of blood belonging to one of the victims.

Police then tracked down Smith, which led to the charges against Young, although police did not know where to find him.

But Metro Police homicide detectives struck gold when they walked outside their offices on West Sahara Avenue and spotted Young walking by.