Remorseful Dunn gets prison term in road-rage death

Kim Smith

Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2001 | 9:09 a.m.

A Las Vegas man who pleaded guilty in a fatal road-rage case said God has forgiven his "trespasses" and that he is wise to the benefits of considering the potential consequences before acting.

Lance Dunn, 25, was sentenced to four to 15 years in prison Tuesday for causing the death of Nicholas Klapp, 40.

In the moments before he was sentenced, Dunn turned to Klapp's family and apologized. He said it was pride that prompted him to act before thinking the day Klapp died.

"Pride is useless," Dunn said. "It's a sin."

According to police reports, two men in a green pickup got into a verbal altercation with Klapp, who was riding a bicycle, shortly after 12:30 p.m. on Feb. 3, 2000.

After exchanging words, Klapp continued to ride northbound on Santa Margarita Street, and the truck turned west on Oakey Boulevard. After traveling about 50 feet, however, the driver of the pickup stopped, backed up his vehicle eastbound on Oakey in the westbound lanes and turned onto Santa Margarita. He continued to back up, traveling northbound on Santa Margarita in the southbound lanes.

"The truck accelerated backward at a high-rate of speed for approximately 200 feet, then spun 180 degrees, striking the bicyclist and causing him to be thrown approximately 30 feet into a light pole," police records state.

The driver of the truck then continued north on Santa Margarita. He then turned east onto Del Rey Avenue and fled the scene.

Dunn hired defense attorney Peter Christiansen, who contacted police later that evening and turned over the vehicle. Dunn, the registered owner of the truck, however, declined to speak with the authorities until his arrest for murder in August -- 18 months later.

Dunn pleaded guilty to reckless driving and leaving the scene of a fatal accident. The sentence was a part of the plea agreement worked out by Christiansen and Chief Deputy District Attorney Michael O'Callaghan.

O'Callaghan and Christiansen said the case was negotiated because neither side was confident a jury would agree with their positions.

Had Dunn been convicted of murder, he could have faced a 40-year-to-life sentence, Christiansen said.

Conversely, O'Callaghan said a jury might find Dunn guilty of a less serious crime.

One of Klapp's sisters also addressed those in the courtroom.

"Nick's smile was his trademark" and nothing said in a few paragraphs can adequately explain the meaning of the loss, Toni Muldoon told District Judge Michael Cherry.

Muldoon said their mother died one year to the day after Klapp was killed.

Another sister, Jeanne Sullivan of New York, said, "It's done. It's over," Sullivan said. "I think his sentence was fair, and he seemed really sincere when he said he was sorry. He also said he was learning from this, and that's what I wanted."