Man sentenced to 50 years in killing

Kim Smith

Tuesday, April 25, 2000 | 10:37 a.m.

A 58-year-old Las Vegas man convicted in March of killing a man who had come to collect a debt from him was sentenced to 50 years in prison Monday.

Leroy Thomas Towner will be eligible for parole after serving 20 years for the June 18 death of William Hall, 48.

According to the North Las Vegas Police Department, Hall went to Towner's residence near Lake Mead and Martin Luther King boulevards and was shot in the chest upon entering. People inside the residence reported that Hall had called to say he was coming over to pick up a debt and Towner armed himself and said he was "going to teach him."

Blood tests showed Towner had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.14 after the shooting.

Last month jurors rejected Towner's contention that he shot Hall in self-defense and convicted him of second-degree murder.

Towner objected Monday when District Judge Jack Lehman appointed David Schieck to represent him during the appellate process. Towner complained that Schieck is a good friend of his trial attorney, Christopher Oram, who he believes represented him poorly at trial.

Lehman responded that it wasn't Oram who convicted him, but his own actions. As for Schieck, the judge gave Towner one week to reconsider his appointment.

"You've made a lot of mistakes in your life, and I suggest you take one week to think about this ..." Lehman said.