Court briefs for August 31, 2001

Friday, Aug. 31, 2001 | 10:24 a.m.

California man gets life sentence

A Clark County jury Thursday spared the life of a California man convicted last week of killing a Kentucky tourist at the Stratosphere.

The jury deliberated two hours over two days before deciding Val Stallworth should be sentenced to a life sentence without the possibility of parole for strangling Stephen Nally to death during Memorial Day weekend 2000.

Prosecutors allege Jamie Shuey lured Nally into a room at the Stratosphere with promises of sex or drugs, and Stallworth strangled and robbed him.

Nally's body was found in the room May 29, 2000, and surveillance videos showed that no one other than Shuey and Stallworth had entered the room between May 26 and May 29.

Stallworth was also convicted on multiple charges stemming from a similar incident that took place one week beforehand. In that case, the victims were simply tied up and left.

Shuey is scheduled for trial in December in connection with both incident.

Dad faces charge in infant's death

A 33-year-old Las Vegas man was scheduled to be arraigned this morning in connection with the July 4 death of his infant son.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Doug Herndon said Luis Sosa is suspected of shaking his six-month-old son so severely that the baby suffered fatal brain injuries.

Sosa was charged with murder by child abuse, Herndon said, after investigators discovered "he had been alone with the baby for a substantial period of time."

Isaiah Sosa is the seventh baby this year who has allegedly been slain, Herndon said.

Suspect enters guilty plea

A man who won a $15 million settlement after being shot and paralyzed by Los Angeles police officers has entered a plea agreement on local drug charges.

Deputy District Attorney Melisa de la Garza said Javier Ovando, 23, pleaded guilty Thursday to transportation of a controlled substance.

As a result of the plea agreement, prosecutors will not object if District Judge Michael Douglas places Ovando into a diversion program next month.

Participants in diversion programs are placed on probation for three to five years and ordered to participate in such things as community service and Drug Court.

If Ovando successfully completes probation, the transportation charge will be dismissed. If he does not, he will go to prison for one to six years.

Ovando was arrested along with five others on March 13 after police discovered $50,000, cocaine and marijuana in the vehicle in which they were allegedly speeding.

Ovando's shooting by L.A. police in 1996 was one of the the cases highlighted when it was revealed that a number of police at the Rampart station beat, robbed and shot suspects.