LV man charged in Strip motel murder

Keith Paul and Jace Radke

Tuesday, Nov. 16, 1999 | 11:09 a.m.

A 47-year-old Las Vegas man was charged with murder in connection with Monday night's shooting death of a 42-year-old mother of three children living at a Strip motel.

Harriet Jennings-Chapin was found dead about 8:30 p.m. in an enclosed courtyard and swimming pool area of the Warren Motel Apartments, 3965 Las Vegas Blvd. South, across the street from the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino.

Witnesses told police they saw a man run from the motel just after the shooting, Lt. Wayne Petersen of Metro Police homicide unit said. Police caught the man about half mile away from the Warren Motel in a lot near Four Seasons Drive.

Brent Sheridan was charged with murder. He was being held today without bail in the Clark County Detention Center.

"At this point we have no idea what caused this," Petersen said. Jennings-Chapin and Sheridan had both lived at the Warren Motel for about a year, Michele Salazar, the motel's manager, said.

"They had seen each other. They both lived here for a year, but they weren't friends," she said.

Sheridan said he had moved from Texas and was talking about getting into a computer class. He apparently had money from the sale of a house, Salazar said.

Jennings-Chapin's children were staying with relatives in Las Vegas, police said.

Monday night's slaying was the 97th homicide in Metro's jurisdiction this year, compared to 113 at the same time last year.