Death penalty sought against boy, 16

Erica D. Johnson

Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2003 | 10:56 a.m.

Prosecutors will seek the death penalty against one of three teens charged with killing an immigrant worker who was walking to a grocery store, District Attorney David Roger said Monday.

A team of prosecutors known as the Death Penalty Review Committee determined that Tyrone Williams, 16, will face a possible death sentence in the slaying of Benito Zambrano-Lopez, 48, Roger said.

"We believe that (Williams) is the shooter in the incident and that certain aggravating circumstances apply," he said.

In Nevada teens 16 and older in are eligible to face the death penalty. Children 8 and older charged with murder and some other violent crimes can be tried in the adult system.

Roger declined to comment on whether Williams' age factored into prosecutors' decision to seek the death penalty against him. He said the details of the meetings are kept confidential.

Authorities say Williams, along with Julius Bradford, 18, and Steven Perry, 17, attacked Lopez the morning of June 9 in a residential neighborhood near Rancho and Vegas drives and then shot him.

Williams' attorney, Marty Hastings, was on vacation Monday and could not be reached for comment.

Deputy Special Public Defender Kristina Wildeveld Coneh and Sean Sullivan, who represent Perry and Bradford respectively, declined to comment on the decision.

Though police initially believed the shooting was part of an initiation into a gang, Roger said the motive for the slaying remains unclear.

"It's unclear right now whether this was part of a gang initiation," he said. "We have alleged that the killing took place during the commission of an attempted robbery."

Roger said prosecutors determined two aggravating factors when deciding whether to seek the death penalty -- the slaying occurred during the commission of an attempted robbery and was random and without apparent motive.

Jurors will only be able to consider one aggravating factor when determining Williams' fate, Roger said.

Defense attorneys have argued that the incident was not an intended robbery, saying none of Lopez's personal belongings were missing when his body was found.

Police alleged that the three suspects, along with 19-year-old Natasha Barker and 20-year-old Aaron Daniels, were responsible for several crimes around the Las Vegas Valley in recent months.

One of those was the killing of Anthony Limongello, 40, a jewelry kiosk owner. Daniels and Barker face murder charges in connection with the death. Limongello's body was found May 5 near trash bins behind a shopping center in the 1000 block of North Rancho Drive.