Second trial ends as first one did: Manley convicted

Kim Smith

Friday, March 10, 2000 | 10:26 a.m.

For the second time in three years a Las Vegas man has been convicted of first-degree murder and robbery in the death of a local elementary school teacher.

A Clark County jury convicted Charles Edward Manley of the March 1995 shooting of Roxanne Logan after deliberating most of Thursday. They also decided he was guilty of stealing her pickup truck after the killing.

Another jury convicted Manley of the same charges in 1997 and sent him to death row, but the Nevada Supreme Court overturned his conviction, saying that his attorney-client privilege had been broken during the trial.

Manley gave a sound of disgust and shook his head when jury foreman Christian Romero read the jury's verdict Thursday afternoon.

Prosecutors contended that Manley was a master manipulator with no job and no money who managed to move in with Logan the second day after he met her. When Logan began pressuring him to move out, prosecutors alleged Manley shot her behind the right ear.

Deputy District Attorney Ed Kane said that even before Logan's body was cold, Manley was driving to California in her truck.

Defense attorney David Schieck and Robert Langford said Logan died as a result of an accident. A depressed Logan came out of her bedroom with a gun in her hand and Manley, thinking she meant to shoot herself with it, attempted to take it from her and the gun went off during the struggle, they said.

The penalty phase of the trial is expected to begin Monday.