Jury will choose life or death for murderer
Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2000 | 11:29 a.m.
The question in the murder trial of Charles Randolph wasn't whether he is guilty of first-degree murder in the holdup at Doc Holliday's Tavern that ended with the bartender executed with two bullets in the head.
Defense attorneys had conceded he was there -- a concession because of a videotape that showed him robbing the till -- and a District Court jury formalized the act by handing down a quick conviction Monday.
The real fight in the case began today with the start of the penalty hearing that will determine whether Randolph, 32, is given the death penalty or sentenced to life in prison with or without the possibility of parole.
The jury in District Judge Michael Douglas' courtroom deliberated just over an hour before also convicting Randolph of kidnapping, robbery, burglary and conspiracy to commit robbery.
Randolph's attorneys contend that life in prison is appropriate because the defendant wasn't the triggerman who killed bartender Shelly Lokken on May 5, 1998, in the bar at Durango and Westcliff drives.
Prosecutors claim that's exactly what he did and point to the surveillance videotape that shows only one bandit in the bar -- Randolph.
The defense counters that after Randolph dismantled the video system and stole it, his partner, Tyrone Garner, 42, entered the bar and killed Lokken to silence the only witness.
The video security system with the tape of the robbery still intact was found in the trunk of Garner's car when police swooped down on him the day after the holdup. Inside the car's trunk, police also found the murder weapon.
Garner, however, named Randolph as the only one who entered the tavern where Randolph had worked as a cook until being fired a couple of days before. Despite the incriminating evidence in the trunk, Garner said he didn't know a robbery was going to occur and believed Randolph was going to Doc Holliday's to pick up his last paycheck.
Garner was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison with no chance for parole. Under Nevada's felony-murder law, all accomplices in a robbery that results in death are guilty of first-degree murder.
A security guard at an apartment complex across the street from the tavern saw the car and became suspicious because it was driving away with its lights off. The guard called Doc Holliday's, but when there was no answer, he reported his suspicions to police.
Inside, police found Lokken's body in the bar's walk-in cooler. She had been handcuffed and been made to kneel on the floor before she was shot twice in the head.
Two cash drawers had been emptied and a cash bag was missing from a safe.
archive
- Most Read
- Discussed
- Most E-mailed
- Live Blog: Pacquiao wins by TKO in round twelve
- Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao: The only fight fans want to see
- Bruised and battered, Cotto says he will fight again
- Boulder City struggles with shocking allegations
- Construction goes bust, equipment goes on auction block
- Temperatures plunge in Las Vegas
- Sanford won’t return as UNLV coach in 2010
- Live game blog: Rebels open season with 91-52 victory against Pittsburg State
- Thunderbirds wow crowd at Nellis AFB air show
- Reid under microscope as lawmakers debate abortion
Blogs
Now and Then
Saints finally going somewhere fast
Elsewhere
Pacquiao-Mayweather at Yankee Stadium in May? (2 Comments)
The Coin Bucket
Planet Hollywood offers $60 rooms -- 10 rooms at a time (5 Comments)
Elsewhere
Nogueira injured, Evans v. Silva to headline 108
Politics: The Early Line
Lawmakers on standby to get health care bill
Robin Leach's Las Vegas Celebrity Watch
Is Donny Osmond’s wife jealous? Is Julianne Hough returning?
Elsewhere
Deutsche Bank drowning in Vegas on Cosmopolitan (19 Comments)
Calendar »
- 16 Mon
- 17 Tue
- 18 Wed
- 19 Thu
- 20 Fri
-
Lily Tomlin at the Hollywood Theatre
Hollywood Theatre at MGM Grand
-
The Automatic Tour at The Square Apple
The Square Apple
-
Football specials at Diablo's
Diablos Cantina
-
Rhumbar presents Pink Sugar Mondays
The Mirage Hotel and Casino
The Sun
Locally owned and independent for more than 50 years.
Technorati






