Las Vegas Sun

November 30, 2009

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Jurors will consider death penalty for killer

Kim Smith

Thursday, Feb. 21, 2002 | 9:56 a.m.

Jurors will hear evidence Friday that will help them determine if a man they convicted Wednesday of raping and killing a mentally ill Las Vegas woman should receive the death penalty.

The jurors found Christopher Williams, 19, guilty of first-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon after deliberating three hours over two days.

Song Magliari, 64, was sexually assaulted, stabbed in the heart and back, then set on fire inside her Simmons Street apartment May 8.

Several of Magliari's neighbors will testify they saw Magliari scream at Williams just an hour before her death and at least one of them saw Williams leaving the scene in Magliari's car.

Williams' finger prints matched those on Magliari's car and DNA evidence linked him to the sexual assault.

Jurors rejected Williams' story that he had consensual sex with the victim, then left in her car when he and Magliari were interrupted by her former boyfriend, whom he blamed for the slaying.

Jurors will hear testimony during Williams' penalty phase about numerous prior arrests beginning when he was about 12.

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