Attorney: Drugs had a role in fatal beating

Erica D. Johnson

Tuesday, April 1, 2003 | 11:03 a.m.

Drugs and money played a major role in the 2001 beating death of a Las Vegas man by two women in a downtown apartment, a defense attorney said Monday.

District Judge John McGroarty on Monday sentenced Kimberly Crawford, 35, to life in prison with parole possible after 20 years in connection with the death of Doyle Upson.

Bridget Pascua, 24, also faces murder charges in the slaying. She is scheduled to stand trial in June.

Deputy Special Public Defender Alzora Jackson said the women were high on drugs when the brutal slaying occurred.

"There was no question that this was a drug psychosis," she said.

According to court records, Upson was beaten with a hammer and forced to ingest large doses of Valium. His killers had also stuffed a rag down his throat.

Crawford later confessed the crime to police, according to court documents.

Crawford in May pleaded guilty to a single count of first-degree murder.

In exchange for her guilty plea, Deputy District Attorney Mike O'Callaghan dropped multiple felony counts, including kidnapping, burglary and robbery.

Prosecutors also dropped a deadly weapon enhancement, which would have doubled Crawford's sentence. By pleading guilty Crawford avoided a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

O'Callaghan declined to comment on Crawford's case because of the case still pending against Pascua.

The incident occurred at an apartment in the 700 block of Casino Center Boulevard when, police alleged, the women tried to rob Upson of a $44,000 gambling ticket he won at the Stratosphere hotel.

Court records also indicate that a third, unidentified person may have also been involved.

Jackson said the winning ticket the pair were searching for never existed. She said Upson only led people to believe he had the money to attract women.