LV man enters guilty plea in 1997 killing of teenage girl

Kim Smith

Thursday, Sept. 7, 2000 | 11:20 a.m.

A Las Vegas man has entered a guilty plea in connection with the 1997 slaying of a teenage girl.

Alfonso Jackson, 31, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder Wednesday in the death of Shavonne Graves, 16, defense attorney Robert Lucherini said.

District Judge Kathy Hardcastle could give Jackson anywhere from 25 years to life in prison with parole possible after 10 years. She is expected to sentence him Oct. 11.

Jackson was sentenced in March to two other life terms in a February 1998 incident in which two women were tied up and one was sexually assaulted and robbed.

Graves' remains were found in the trunk of a burned-out car about six months after she disappeared on her way to meet a friend.

The friend was dating Jackson, and authorities believe Graves had been trying to get the girl to break up with Jackson.

Between the time of Graves' disappearance in July 1997 and Jackson's indictment in January, Jackson was arrested in connection with the February 1998 incident.

According to authorities, a woman asked Jackson and a girlfriend of hers to stay at her apartment because she was afraid of a man she believed was stalking her.

Sometime during the night, Jackson awakened the women, tied them up with shoelaces and sexually assaulted one of them. He ran away after she was able to break free and scream for help.

Jackson pleaded guilty to sexual assault, first-degree kidnapping and possession of a firearm by an ex-felon in that case and was sentenced in March by District Judge Mark Gibbons. In addition to the life terms, he also was given five years on the firearms count.