Witness identifies suspect in testimony

Kim Smith

Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2000 | 10:18 a.m.

Although he only saw his face for five seconds, a Las Vegas man testified Monday he is positive he knows who shot and killed a mother of three last year.

Ed Vogele said he was standing near the door of his apartment on Nov. 15, 1999, when he heard three shots ring out. When he looked outside into the courtyard, he saw Brent Sheridan standing hunched over something with his arms outstretched. As the first of four more shots rang out, he ducked.

When he went outside moments later, he saw Harriet Jennings-Chapin, 42, barely moving.

Monday was the first day in Sheridan's murder trial in Clark County District Court and Vogele was the state's second witness.

According to prosecutors, Sheridan, 47, fired seven shots at Jennings-Chapin, striking her five times. The two were both residents of the Warren Motel Apartments on Las Vegas Boulevard South across the street from the Mandalay Bay hotel-casino.

During defense attorney Steve Immerman's cross-examination of Vogele, Vogele conceded he didn't provide 911 dispatchers a description of the shooter, nor did he tell them or police he knew who the shooter was.

In fact, Vogele said he didn't identify Sheridan as the shooter until four months later, when he saw Sheridan sitting with a group of other defendants at his preliminary hearing.

"I had an idea (it was him), but I wasn't sure," Vogele said.

Vogele said he is now "positive" it was Sheridan that shot Jennings-Chapin.

Also testifying Monday were two young men who testified they saw Sheridan run past a restaurant shortly after the shooting and a Metro Police officer who took Sheridan into custody about a half-mile from the apartments.

Metro Officer Gary Clark testified that when he asked Sheridan where he had just been, Sheridan said "chasing away vagrants at the Warren Motel Apartments."