Mystery evidence may fuel guilty plea challenge

Bill Gang

Monday, Dec. 20, 1999 | 11:51 a.m.

Jeremy Strohmeyer's sexual assault and murder of 7-year-old Sherrice Iverson in a Primm casino restroom more than two years ago didn't seem to be much of a mystery, but the current challenge to his guilty plea has become just that.

District Judge Joseph Bonaventure today postponed a court hearing on the controversial case until Feb. 1 because of the yet-to-be disclosed new evidence that is said to be coming from the victim's family and their supporters.

Even Strohmeyer's Las Vegas lawyer, Carmine Colucci, told the judge he is unaware of the new information that has been gathered by Strohmeyer's New York attorneys and extends beyond the current court challenge.

The New York lawyers, Robert Preuss and Camille Abate, declined comment today.

In a appeal filed in November, it is alleged the now-21-year-old defendant was coerced into confessing by his own lawyers -- primarily by high-profile Los Angeles defense attorney Leslie Abramson.

Deputy District Attorney Bill Koot said he has no direct information about the new approach, but has concluded that the only avenue involves blaming Strohmeyer's buddy at the Primm casino -- David Cash -- for the girl's death.

"It's the only conclusion I could come to, but it was not suggested by them," Koot said of the mystery information that was first revealed in a telephone conference last week between defense and prosecution attorneys and the judge.

Cash became a controversial figure because he witnessed part of the attack on Iverson yet didn't alert hotel security. The controversy escalated when he later announced in a radio interview that he had no remorse over the incident or the girl's death.

Cash's involvement was extensively investigated, but in the end the district attorney's office determined what he had done did not constitute a crime under Nevada law since there is no legal requirement that a witness to a crime report it.

David Phillips, the Iverson family's attorney for their civil case, said today he is unaware of any new information.

The new challenge must be filed by Dec. 30. A decision by Bonaventure whether to have an evidentiary hearing will be made Jan. 18.

That evidentiary hearing -- or at least arguments on the legal issues -- is scheduled for Feb. 1. The judge ordered that Strohmeyer be returned to Las Vegas for the court session -- the first time he will have been out of his "protective custody" situation at the Ely State Prison in more than a year.

Strohmeyer and his lawyers claim he was 'bullied' into pleading guilty -- with the requirement that he spend the rest of his life in prison with no chance for parole -- by Abramson after the defense money ran out.

He wants the judge to set aside his guilty plea and let him take his chances with a jury.

The November court documents allege that is an avenue he said he would have pursued more than a year ago were it not for the "scare tactics, lies and appeals to guilt" used by Abramson to coerce him into accepting a plea bargain.

The risk, if Strohmeyer does win a trial, is that a jury could convict him and give him the death penalty -- a risk court documents state he is willing to take.

It was just after a jury was selected that the plea deal ended the proceeding that attracted media from around the country and was going to be broadcast live on Court TV.

A conviction of Strohmeyer had appeared likely before the plea bargain since he had given three confessions to police and made similar admissions to friends and family -- some of them including statements that he had wanted to experience death.

There also were security videos from the Primm casino showing Strohmeyer playing with Sherrice Iverson, during the early-morning hours while her father gambled, and then following her into a restroom where the murder occurred.