Prosecutors: Killer shouldn’t get appeal

Greg Tuttle

Tuesday, May 2, 2000 | 10:39 a.m.

A three-time killer sentenced to death for the fatal stabbing of a fellow inmate inside a maximum-security prison should not be allowed to appeal his case in U.S. District Court, federal prosecutors said Monday.

William Bryon Leonard was convicted of the Oct. 22, 1987, stabbing death of Joseph Wright at the Nevada State Prison. At the time, Leonard was serving a life sentence for the fatal stabbing of an 80-year-old Hawthorne man. He previously was convicted of an unrelated murder in Florida.

Leonard, 39, was sentenced to death following his first-degree murder conviction for killing Wright, who was stabbed 21 times with a "shank" fashioned from a wall locker. Leonard said he acted in self-defense against a violent homosexual.

Leonard appealed his death sentence, but a Carson City district court judge dismissed the appeal in 1996. Leonard's appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court also was rejected and his death sentence upheld.

Now Leonard wants a federal judge to consider his appeal, but the move is being challenged by federal prosecutors. In a motion filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas, prosecutors said Leonard "has failed to present federal constitutional claims that warrant relief" from the death penalty.

A judge has yet to rule on whether Leonard's case will be reviewed in federal court.

Greg Tuttle covers federal offices for the Las Vegas Sun. He can be reached at 259-8813 or 380-8433 or e-mail him at tuttle@lasvegassun.com.