Charges to stand in carjackings, two related deaths

Kim Smith

Friday, Oct. 25, 2002 | 9:41 a.m.

Attorneys for a Las Vegas teen facing the death penalty in connection with two fatal carjackings were unsuccessful Thursday in their getting half of the charges dismissed.

Deputy Public Defender Nancy Lemcke and Joseph Abood told District Judge Joseph Bonaventure that prosecutors over-charged Giles Manley, 17, and asked that six of 12 counts against him be dropped.

Manley is accused of shooting Isaac Perez, 21, May 10 during a carjacking and causing a crash that killed Patrick Melia, 41, later the same evening.

Police allege that Manley kidnapped Perez, a custodian, from Ruth Fyfe Elementary School and forced him to drive away in Perez's new Lincoln Town Car. When Perez, 21, ran into a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper's car at an Eastern Avenue exit to get the officer's attention, police allege, Manley shot him.

Manley also is accused of shooting Trooper Guy Davis in the foot, then carjacking a sport utility vehicle from a local couple and their infant daughter.

About four hours later, police say, Manley led North Las Vegas Police on a 22-minute high-speed chase that ended when the SUV smashed into Melia's car at Vegas Drive and Decatur Boulevard, killing Melia.

The attorneys argued that Manley should not have been charged with murder in the death of Melia because it occurred several hours after he allegedly carjacked the SUV owned by Cecilia Aremendariz and Herbierto Casas.

They said that under the felony murder rule, the slaying must take place during the commission of another crime.

In addition, Lemcke said Manley shouldn't face attempted kidnapping charges because there is no proof Aremendariz and Casas were told to stay in the vehicle when Manley allegedly carjacked it and in fact, weren't in the car when he supposedly drove off.

Bonaventure denied the motion to dismiss, ruling that the course of events that night should be considered as "one transaction." He also said a jury should decide what Manley intended when he took the Casas vehicle.

Manley is scheduled to go to trial in February.