Court briefs for July 26, 2002

Friday, July 26, 2002 | 9:51 a.m.

Kidnap, gang-rape case postponed

The trial of four young men accused of kidnapping and gang-raping a Las Vegas woman has been postponed until Sept. 16.

Sergio Chan, 16, Oscar Chan, 15, Daniel McDaris, 17, and Alexander Berrillos, 20, are accused of kidnapping the 19-year-old woman on Halloween and sexually assaulting her repeatedly in the desert.

The Chans are also accused of kidnapping another woman three days later.

District Judge Kathy Hardcastle agreed to postpone the trial, which was scheduled to begin Monday, until Sept. 16 while psychological evaluations are completed on some of the young men.

Motion for new trial in murder denied

A Henderson man's motion for a new murder trial has been denied.

Stephen Briller tried unsuccessfully to convince District Judge Donald Mosley that he deserved a new trial because of new questions about the credibility of a key witness at his June trial.

Deputy Public Defender Drew Christensen said that after Briller was convicted, an inmate at the Clark County Detention Center told him that he once discussed how to become a snitch with a key witness in the Briller case.

The key witness, Donald Stenger, told jurors that while he was locked up with Briller, Briller confessed he strangled Teri Roberts, 33.

The inmate's story should cast doubt on Stenger's story, Christensen said.

Mosley denied the motion and Briller will be sentenced Aug. 7.