Man to stand trial ordered in killing of woman, 79

Bill Gang

Thursday, Feb. 17, 2000 | 10:54 a.m.

A Las Vegas man has been ordered to stand trial in the December slaying of a 79-year-old woman and the beating and robbery of an 87-year-old woman a few days later.

Justice of the Peace Tony Abbatangelo on Wednesday determined there was sufficient evidence to hold Anthony Dotson, 41, for trial in both cases.

Arraignment on murder and robbery charges was set for March 2 in District Judge Mark Gibbons' courtroom.

Metro Police allege that 87-year-old Kathryn Waldman was injured Dec. 17 as her car and purse were taken in the University Medical Center parking lot by Dotson.

At the time, police had been searching for Dotson in connection with the bludgeoning death of Doris Bair, who was found dead in her house in the 1400 block of Bracken Avenue.

Dotson, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison for a 1987 robbery conviction in Los Angeles County, was arrested at a vacant house west of downtown near UMC a short time after the older woman was robbed.

Dotson, a native Californian, had been working as a temporary laborer renovating the vacant house, Metro Lt. Wayne Peterson said. The 87-year-old woman's stolen car and purse were in Dotson's possession when police arrested him.

If Dotson is convicted at a trial, any penalties would be doubled because the crimes involved victims over the age of 65.

Police began searching for Dotson on Dec. 14 in connection with Bair's death.

The woman's next-door neighbors called police on Dec. 13 when they hadn't seen her for a couple of days. Police found Bair dead on the floor of the house she had lived in for 50 years.

An autopsy determined Bair died from several blows to the head and most likely died on Dec. 12. Several items were taken from her home including her car. Police found her car, a 1991 white Mercury, in the downtown area on Dec. 13.

There were signs of a struggle inside Bair's home, and there were indications of a forced entry.

Bair had called police on Dec. 10 reporting a prowler rang her front door bell and then knocked on her back door. A few minutes later the lights in her house went off, apparently the result of a circuit breaker being switched off, police said.