Ex-death row inmate attends Nevius’ hearing

Brendan Riley

Thursday, April 12, 2001 | 10:43 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- A clemency hearing Wednesday for condemned inmate Thomas Nevius drew a crowd of lawyers, relatives of Nevius and the man he's convicted of killing -- and former death row inmate Jack Mazzan.

Mazzan, 54, said after the lengthy Nevada Pardons Board hearing that, "I really felt exactly the weight (that Nevius felt). There's hope that you're going to get relief, and fear that you won't."

The board's decision, sought by its chairman, Gov. Kenny Guinn, was to get more information on Nevius' mental state, to determine whether his lawyers are accurate in describing him as mentally retarded.

"I'm glad the governor did what he did," said Mazzan. "He didn't just take the party line. It seems to be a very fair decision."

"There but for the grace ..." added Mazzan when asked whether the more than four hours of testimony in Nevius' case brought up strong emotions about his own case.

Mazzan spent 20 years on death row before his conviction was reversed last year. In a bombshell January 2000 ruling, the state Supreme Court criticized prosecutors for not giving the defense information about other suspects -- alleged drug dealers who hadn't been paid for thousands of dollars worth of drugs supplied to the victim, Richard Minor Jr.

Mazzan faces a retrial for a 1978 murder -- but won't face the death penalty again.

In advance of the retrial, a two-day hearing is scheduled next week in Washoe County District Court to review old evidence that was used in the trial that led to Mazzan's death sentence for the knifing death of Minor, his friend and the son of then-Reno Justice of the Peace Richard Minor.