Penalty phase begins for man accused in death of four

Tuesday, June 13, 2000 | 2:55 a.m.

A jury that convicted Donte Johnson in the death of four people began hearing arguments Tuesday in the penalty phase of his trial.

Johnson, 21, was convicted last week in Clark County District Court of the Aug. 14, 1998, quadruple slaying of four young men. Matthew Mowen, 19, Jeffrey Biddle, 19, Tracey Gorringe, 21, and Peter Talamantez, 17, were slain in a Las Vegas home.

All four victims were bound at the wrists and ankles and killed by a single gunshot to the back of the head. The killings occurred during a botched robbery in which three armed men entered the home, looking for cash and drugs.

Johnson also was convicted of four counts of robbery, four counts of kidnapping and one count each of burglary and conspiracy. The verdicts followed a four-day trial and seven hours of jury deliberations. The same jury that convicted Johnson will decide whether he should be sentenced to death.

Two other men involved in the incident were sentenced to life in prison without parole at separate trials last year.

Evidence at Johnson's murder trial included the pants he wore the night of the killings. DNA testing linked blood found on one of the pant legs as coming from one of the murder victims. And a cigarette butt found at the scene was determined through DNA testing to have been smoked by Johnson.

Witnesses, including Johnson's ex-girlfriend, said he boasted of the killings and was thrilled to see a front-page newspaper account of the quadruple murder.

Prosecutors said they were seeking the death penalty against Johnson because he was the triggerman.