Court briefs for July 25, 2001

Wednesday, July 25, 2001 | 8:30 a.m.

Mosley sets Sept. 6 hearing

District Judge Donald Mosley Tuesday set Sept. 6 as the sentencing date for Brookey West for the death of her mother.

West was convicted last week of first-degree murder in the February 1998 death of Christine Smith, 64. West's attorneys agreed to allow Mosley to sentence her instead of the jury that convicted her.

Mosley will sentence West to life in prison with or without the possiblity of parole or a 20- to 50-year sentence. His decision will be based on the attorneys' arguments and input from the Department of Parole and Probation.

Mother receives 5 years' probation

A Las Vegas woman was placed on five years' probation Tuesday after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter and child abuse and neglect in connection with the 1998 death of her infant son.

Defense attorney Peter Christiansen said that if Susan Harley violates the terms of her probation she could end up receiving a two- to 20-year prison sentence.

Harley's 5-month-old son, Cory, died in October 1998. Harley was charged with murder by child abuse more than a year later after a coroner changed his mind about the manner of the child's death and ruled it a homicide.

A plea agreement in the case was reached, Christiansen said, because it remains unclear how the baby died.

The state's expert would have testified at trial that Cory Harley could only have died as the result of shaken baby syndrome, but a defense expert disagrees, Christiansen said.

In fact, Christiansen said, there are some indications that the baby may have suffered a skull fracture as the result of being accidentally dropped by someone other than Harley.