Court briefs for April 5, 2000

Wednesday, April 5, 2000 | 12:09 p.m.

Killer clears second defendant

A man who has already pleaded guilty in a 1998 killing testified Tuesday that a second defendant, Charles Damion Vonlewis, who is facing murder, burglary and attempted robbery charges in connection with the Sept. 29, 1998, shooting death of Ronald Pradon Jr., was not involved.

Sam Ivey, 18, has already pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and attempted robbery in Pradon's death and was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 10 years.

Ivey testified Tuesday that Vonlewis was not involved in the incident, but Ivey named others who were.

According to police, Pradon was with four friends in his apartment when a neighbor knocked on the door and was followed in by two armed men with bandanas covering their faces.

Pradon was shot in the chest during a scuffle with one of the robbers.

Man pleads not guilty in shooting

A 47-year-old man accused of fatally shooting a mother of three at a Strip motel is scheduled to go to trial in September.

District Judge Kathy Hardcastle set Brent Sheridan's trial after Sheridan pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a single count of murder in the death of Harriet Jennings-Chapin.

Police say Jennings-Chapin, 42, was found dead Nov. 15 in the swimming pool area of the Warren Motel Apartments, 3965 Las Vegas Blvd. South.

Trial scheduled in Valentine's killing

An August trial date has been set for a Las Vegas man accused of stabbing his girlfriend to death on Valentine's Day.

District Judge Jeffrey Sobel set an Aug. 29 trial for Desmond Fleming after Fleming pleaded not guilty in the death of Priscilla Garvin, 18, at his arraignment Monday.

Garvin died during surgery at University Medical Center.

DA not allowed to change indictment

A May trial date has been scheduled for a 26-year-old man accused of shooting a California man to death four years ago.

Judge Mark Gibbons scheduled Darris Taylor's murder trial for May 15 after being told the Nevada Supreme Court will not allow prosecutors to change the indictment they obtained in July 1996, said Dayvid Figler, special deputy public defender.

Taylor is accused of killing Charles Melvin Rayford, 28, in March 1996 during a robbery.

However, prosecutors tried to change the indictment to read that even if Taylor didn't do the actual killing, he conspired with someone else to do it.