News briefs for April 17, 2002

Wednesday, April 17, 2002 | 9:57 a.m.

An 18-year-old Las Vegas man was given two no-parole life sentences Tuesday in connection with the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old boy.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Ed Kane said Erwin "Sleepy" Huerta killed Antonio Ramos after their girlfriends got into a fight. The two men had never met, Kane said.

Ramos died March 9, 2000, in front of Ramos' girlfriend's house in the 6400 block of Meadowlark Lane, near Torrey Pines Drive and Spring Mountain Road.

Burglary committed at murder scene

A Las Vegas man was sentenced to four years in prison Tuesday for burglarizing the home of a man whose wife was killed one year earlier in their home.

Before becoming eligible for parole, Guadalupe Jesus Garcia will have to serve at least one year in prison for stealing weapons and jewelry from Herbert Averill's home in January.

Averill's wife, Tiffany Averill, 67, was killed in January 2001 by three homeless men during a robbery.

On Tuesday Herbert Averill told District Judge John McGroarty that Garcia, a neighbor, burglarized his home despite knowing about the earlier tragedy. Some of the items that have not been found can't be replaced, he said.

Troy Schnabl was given a no-parole life term on Monday for the murder of Tiffany Averill, and Ernest Valezquez is serving a four to 10-year sentence.

Robert Whitesell was scheduled to be sentenced today, making today the third time within one week that Herbert Averill has had to appear in court.

Man found shot to death

A man found shot last month in his car near Desert Inn Road and Maryland Parkway died over the weekend.

Darren Langlais, 34, of Las Vegas, was found March 28 in his car in the area of Sierra Vista Drive and Rome Street. He had a gunshot wound in the torso and was taken to University Medical Center, Metro Police said.

Anyone with information in this case is asked to call Metro's homicide unit at 229-3521 or Secret Witness at 385-5555.

Public officials to host meeting

Clark County Commissioner Yvonne Atkinson Gates and Las Vegas City Councilman Lawrence Weekly will host an evening for residents to learn about important local issues from 6 to 8 tonight at the Reed Whipple Cultural Center, 821 Las Vegas Blvd. North.

Guests representing Nevada Power and Sprint will be on hand to answer questions from the community.