Killer of elderly woman convicted

Kim Smith

Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2001 | 10:55 a.m.

A Clark County jury decided Tuesday that a 28-year-old Las Vegas man strangled an elderly woman three years ago. Now they must decide if he should die as a result.

Termaine Lytle was convicted of first-degree murder, kidnapping, robbery, burglary, conspiracy and forgery in connection with the death of Selma Adelman, 84.

Prosecutors will try to persuade jurors during the punishment phase of the trial, which began today, that Lytle should be sentenced to death, partly because of Adelman's age.

Deputy District Attorney Robert Daskas told jurors during opening statements that Lytle and Robert Walker decided to rob Adelman because Lytle was short on rent money.

Daskas said that Adelman was likely knitting late into the evening of July 26, 1997, when Lytle and Walker slipped into her apartment through an unlocked sliding glass door.

The pair dragged Adelman off her couch into her bedroom where they tried to smother her with a pillow and ended up strangling her with a coaxial cable.

The pair ransacked her apartment, stealing a microwave, a radio, credit cards and a checkbook, Daskas said. They then put the items into a cart used by Adelman for grocery shopping.

Adelman's daughter found her mother's body a couple of days later, Daskas said.

The pair were tracked down because they ended up using Adelman's checks and credit cards, Daskas said.

Walker entered a plea agreement and is serving a 20-year to life sentence.

Defense attorney Lizzie Hatcher told the jurors Walker was solely to blame for the woman's death.