Court briefs for December 18, 2000

Monday, Dec. 18, 2000 | 11:09 a.m.

Fight over pups lands 50 years

A 22-year-old man who was charged with murdering another man over a litter of puppies was sentenced to 50 years in prison Friday.

Adam Aguilar will have to serve at least 20 years in prison before he is eligible for parole in the July 1999 death of Deangelo Jackson, 20.

According to police, Aguilar, his cousins Eliodor Cabrera Jr., 20, and Ismael Vargas, 20, and Jackson had agreed to split six pit bull puppies among them, but when three of the pups died, a fight broke out over the remaining ones.

Jackson was shot to death during the fight.

Cabrera and Vargas also entered plea agreements. Cabrera could get probation or up to five years in prison when he is sentenced.

Vargas died after being gunned down in his driveway Oct. 23 while awaiting sentencing.

HIV-infected man enters counseling

District Judge Donald Mosley will wait until March to decide what sentence an HIV-infected robber should get for having sex with a 14-year-old boy.

Steven Zuckermandel, 32, was scheduled to be sentenced Friday after pleading guilty to statutory sexual seduction, but after learning Zuckermandel has entered a 90-day inpatient drug counseling program, Mosley decided to wait.

According to court records, Zuckermandel pleaded guilty to robbery and battery-domestic violence in February and was placed on probation.

In September he was arrested and charged with having sex with a 14-year-old boy and possessing cocaine.

District Judge John McGroarty last month allowed him to enter the drug program and postponed the sentencing in the robbery case. On Friday Mosley agreed to do the same.

Two life terms given murderer

A Las Vegas man who was convicted of first-degree murder for a second time after his first conviction was thrown out was sentenced to two life terms Thursday.

Anthony Petty will have to serve at least 40 years before he will be eligible for parole in the September 1997 death of Ray Watts. Petty opted to have District Judge Mark Gibbons sentence him instead of a jury.

According to police, Petty shot Watts six times when Watts demanded Petty give him a pair of pants that Petty was packing as he prepared to leave Las Vegas.

The Nevada Supreme Court ordered the second trial after ruling that the first trial judge erred when he didn't allow defense attorneys to present evidence that Watts was a violent man.

The second jury convicted Petty in November after deliberating five hours.

Lawyer loses action against State Bar

A federal lawsuit filed against the State Bar of Nevada by one of its members seeking to stop a public relations campaign has been dismissed.

Las Vegas attorney Chuck Gardner filed the lawsuit in May alleging the state-wide association's use of the slogan "Nevada Lawyers -- Making the Law Work For Everyone" was deceptive.

Gardner also alleged the bar association illegally used membership dues to pay for billboards, television advertisements and other publicity to benefit the organization.

But in a ruling filed late last week, visiting U.S. District Judge Justin Quackenbush said the lawsuit failed to meet the legal standard for an injunction sought by Gardner to stop the campaign and dismissed the lawsuit.