Judge lifts gag order in Pope case

Kim Smith

Friday, Jan. 28, 2000 | 10:37 a.m.

Justice of the Peace Tony Abbatangelo said during a Thursday hearing that there would be no point in trying to find out who spoke to a Sun reporter about an alleged sexual encounter between Conan Pope and a male inmate in the Clark County Detention Center.

Pope is the 15-year-old Las Vegas boy who was jailed after allegedly shooting and killing his father. The court had ordered a closed hearing on the alleged sexual incident. This matter was ordered to be confidential but details of the case were reported in the Sun.

"Tons of people who aren't even involved in the justice system were talking to me about it. I was shocked," Abbatangelo said. "People had already known about it prior to us having a gag order."

In lifting the gag order, Abbatangelo told the media that copies of transcripts from the hearing concerning the alleged sexual encounter would be made available.

Pope is charged in the Jan. 6 shooting death of his father, Frank Pope, 62. According to authorities, Pope told police his father became irate at him and his 16-year-old sister when he came home to find dirty dishes and that he shot his father to protect his sister.

Pope is charged as an adult in the murder because under Nevada law, a juvenile charged with murder or attempted murder is automatically certified as an adult.

News of the alleged sexual encounter leaked out when a closed hearing involving Pope was scheduled.

Court hearings in criminal cases are supposed to be open and public, but the Pope hearing was closed because he was charged as a juvenile in the sexual encounter case.