Plea deal stands; man sentenced to life

Rebecca Malone

Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2001 | 10:42 a.m.

An 18-year-old Las Vegas man was sentenced Monday to 20 years to life for first-degree murder, after District Judge Joseph Bonaventure denied the defendant's request to withdraw a plea agreement.

The sentencing came after Jason Webber's mother and another woman were escorted sobbing out of the courtroom.

Webber's mother, Cathy Salupo, interrupted the proceedings by telling the judge that her son had been coerced into signing the plea agreement and that he did not know what he was signing because he has only a fifth grade reading level.

Webber did not fully understand the nature and consequences of his plea agreement and should be able to back out of it and go to trial, Webber's attorney, Carmine Colucci, said.

Webber had pleaded guilty to the January shooting of his brother-in-law, Marc Lohr, 31.

Police maintain that Webber did not like Lohr, and when his sister sneaked Lohr into their grandmother's house on Jan. 16, the two men got into an argument that led to the shooting.

Webber claimed he shot Lohr, who was found with a heavy bar in his hand, in self defense.

Police said they believed Webber placed the bar in Lohr's hand after he had been shot.

Bonaventure denied the motion to withdraw from the plea, saying the record is clear that Webber understood what he was signing.

"I bent over backwards for Mr. Webber," Bonaventure said. "He was not rushed. I even held a special session for him."