Attorney says Strohmeyer uncertain what happened

Robert Macy

Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2000 | 1:28 a.m.

An attorney says confessed killer Jeremy Strohmeyer would rather face the death penalty than life in prison wondering what happened in a 22-minute span during which he strangled a 7-year-old girl.

A judge has ruled that Strohmeyer can testify regarding his claim that he was bullied by his former defense attorney, Leslie Abramson, into pleading guilty in the May 1997 slaying of Sherrice Iverson.

Strohmeyer, now 21, pleaded guilty in September 1998 to murder, kidnapping and two counts of sexual assault, and was given four consecutive life sentences.

Strohmeyer's new defense attorney, Camille Abate, said her client has no memory of a 22-minute span when he followed the young Los Angeles girl into a restroom at a Primm, Nev. casino.

"The bottom line is he just doesn't know what happened," Abate said Wednesday in a telephone interview from her New York office. "He never thought he was the type of person who could do something like this, and it's torturing him. He really wants to know.

"He would rather face death and learn what happened, than face life in jail not knowing," Abate said.

Clark County District Attorney Stewart Bell dismissed the claim that Strohmeyer did not know what happened.

"He could listen to his original confession and learn pretty quickly," Bell said Wednesday.

State District Judge Joseph Bonaventure ruled Tuesday that Strohmeyer and his mother, Winifred Strohmeyer, could testify at a hearing Feb. 8 to determine if the guilty plea could be recanted.

Bell said he would produce three witnesses at next month's hearing - Las Vegas Metropolitan Police detectives James Vacarro and Phil Ramos, and attorney Richard Wright. Vacarro and Ramos took Strohmeyer's confession while Wright and Abramson defended Strohmeyer initially.

Bell said he did not seek Abramson's testimony, adding "I subpoenaed all the witnesses I think I need."

Bell disputed Strohmeyer's claim of ineffective representation.

"It was a war, virtually daily, for 15 months," Bell said of battles between prosecution and defense attorneys. "I don't know of a stone that either side left unturned."

Abramson's office said she would not comment on the case.

Wright did not immediately return a phone call from The Associated Press.

Strohmeyer filed motions in November seeking to withdraw the guilty plea, contending his former attorneys did not adequately inform him of his legal options. He also claimed Abramson urged him to plead guilty to the charges.

The Feb. 8 hearing is not expected to consider a defense contention that Leroy Iverson, the father of the victim, bumped into David Cash before the girl's body was found.

Strohmeyer and Cash were friends and had stopped at the Primm casino on a trip to Las Vegas. Testimony indicated Cash walked into the restroom during Strohmeyer's attack on the girl, but did nothing to stop it.

At the time, Nevada had no law requiring someone to stop a crime in progress. As a result of the Iverson slaying, the 1999 Nevada Legislature passed a law requiring that anyone report a crime in progress against a child.

"We don't have any evidence that he (Cash) participated in a manner that would allow us to charge and convict him under aiding and abetting," Bell said. "However, we've made no deals with Mr. Cash, there's no statute of limitation on homicide, and if any credible evidence ever surfaced, we would take appropriate action."