Court briefs for May 15, 2002

Wednesday, May 15, 2002 | 8:45 a.m.

Supreme Court reinstates sentence

The Nevada Supreme Court Tuesday reinstated the death penalty for John E. Butler, who was found guilty in the killing of two members of an anti-racist skinhead group in Las Vegas.

The court overruled District Judge Michael Douglas, who ruled that Butler, a member of a skinhead group, was entitled to a new penalty hearing because of newly discovered evidence.

The high court said the evidence would not have had any effect on the jury that sentenced Butler to death for the 1998 murders of Daniel Shertsy, 21, and Lin "Spit" Newborn, 24.

The issue centered on witness Carolyn Trotti, who testified for the prosecution. Toward the end of the penalty phase, Trotti informed the prosecution she had also seen another person who was reportedly involved in the killings.

The defense was not notified of the new statement by Trotti and it maintained that it could have challenged the credibility of her testimony.

The court said the newly discovered evidence would not have resulted in a different outcome in the guilt phase. It said there was ample evidence to convict Butler, who admitted to at least four people that he was guilty.

Woman charged for fraud

A federal indictment alleging that a woman posed as a Secret Service agent as part of a scam to trick victims out of nearly $40,000 in Las Vegas was handed down on Tuesday.

According to the indictment, Inge Zochowski told victims that she was a Secret Service agent and could buy impounded cars for reduced prices. It is alleged that she also told the victims that she needed money to pay informants and for a rental car, and that all the money that she was given would be repaid with interest by the government.

Zochowski allegedly collected $38,881 from the victims and faces charges of wire fraud and impersonating an officer of the United States.

Outcall firm claims civil rights violation

A Las Vegas outcall service is suing Metro Police for violation of civil rights.

Richard Soranno, owner of S.O.C. Inc., the parent company of a business that provides outcall nude dancers, states in the complaint filed Tuesday that a Metro officer identified as Glenn Rector entered the service's office and demanded documents without a warrant.

The complaint alleges that Rector entered the office at 900 E. Karen Avenue on May 15, 2000, and that when employee Don Clark protested he was detained and arrested.

The lawsuit seeks damages in excess of $40,000 for civil rights violations.

LV man convicted again in old case

A Las Vegas man has once again been convicted of stalking his former wife and her boyfriend.

A Clark County jury late Monday convicted Stephen Szczepanik of two counts of aggravating stalking. They found him not guilty of a charged of solicitation to commit murder.

In 1994, Szczepanik, 38, was charged with attempted murder of Hans Aareskjold, his former wife's boyfriend. He was placed on probation and the judge agreed to drop the charge if he stopped harassing his former wife and Aareskjold.

In December 1995, District Judge Sally Loehrer sentenced Szczepanik to two years in prison for stalking and six years in prison for violating that agreement.

Man, 18, enters guilty plea

An 18-year-old Las Vegas man has agreed to spend between four and 20 years in prison for causing an accident that killed two people.

Defense attorney Robert Draskovich said David Samaniega-Cerna pleaded guilty Tuesday to two counts of driving under the influence, causing death. He will be formally sentenced June 23 by District Judge Michael Cherry.

According to police, Samaniego-Cerna apparently lost control of a sport utility vehicle Feb. 7 when trying to pass a slower moving car on the Strip.

The two rear-seat passengers, Rodrigo Lopez, 18, and Gilberto Palafox, 33, were killed.