Jurors look at pillow, sheet in murder case

Kim Smith

Wednesday, July 24, 2002 | 9:33 a.m.

A single pillow and a blue Martha Stewart queen-sized flat sheet could mean the difference between life and death for a Las Vegas man on trial this week for a 5-year-old slaying.

Chief Deputy District Attorney David Roger told jurors Tuesday that he thinks Kenneth Curtis killed Marysol "Mimi" Peres to get back at Peres' sister, who had just dumped him.

Peres, a 21-year-old exotic dancer, was shot in the back of the head sometime between 10:30 p.m. Dec. 19, 1997, and 7:30 a.m. Dec. 20, 1997. Her semi-nude body was found in a Dumpster behind an apartment complex near Martin Luther King Boulevard and Bonanza Road.

Witnesses will testify Curtis wanted a way to hurt Leticia Morfin because killing her wouldn't be enough, Roger said. They will also testify about Curtis asking for a silencer and learning that a pillow works nearly as well.

Morfin will be the crucial witness for the state, however.

Roger said Morfin will testify that in the weeks after her sister's death she noticed a pillow missing from the apartment she and her sister shared with Curtis.

Moreover, she will tell jurors she found a receipt dated Dec. 19, 1997, showing Curtis bought a sheet perfectly matching the one her sister was found wrapped in.

Morfin was supposed to meet her sister the night of the slaying to celebrate Morfin's 24th birthday, but Peres never showed up. Rogers said Curtis' number was the last number that showed up on Peres' pager.

"Ladies and gentlemen, you are seated in this courtroom with a killer" and that killer is Kenneth Curtis, Roger told jurors.

Deputy Public Defender Jordan Savage begged jurors to keep an open mind, saying the police investigation "was anything but thorough."

Not only should they acquit Curtis because the case against him "reeks of reasonable doubt" but because he is innocent, Savage told jurors.

Peres worked as a stripper and such clubs don't have an "environment of integrity and sincerity," Savage said.

"The evidence will tell you that there are many possibilities as to what happened to this lovely young lady," Savage said.

According to court documents, the state is seeking the death penalty against Curtis because of his violent criminal history and Roger's belief he killed Peres after kidnapping her.

Curtis was convicted in San Diego County in 1998 of first-degree robbery and assault with a firearm. He was convicted again in October 1998 in connection with a 1996 armed robbery and hijacking in California. He is now serving a 25-year to life sentence in that case.

Testimony was to continue this afternoon in the courtroom of District Judge Donald Mosley.