Court briefs for Feb. 7, 2003

Friday, Feb. 7, 2003 | 10 a.m.

Man gets 50 years in killing of friend

A Las Vegas man charged with killing his childhood friend on a Western High School soccer field was sentenced to 50 years in prison Thursday.

Rex Adams, 21, will be eligible for parole after 20 years.

Jurors in December found Adams guilty of second-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon in the July 4, 2002, shooting death of Hershell "Bobby" Pacheco, 23.

The two men had gone to junior high school together and lived blocks from each other in the residential neighborhood near U.S. 95 and Decatur Boulevard.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Frank Coumou said the execution-style shooting occurred during a night of drinking and partying with friends, after which Adams shot Pacheco once in the torso and twice in the back of the head.

"There are three main elements to this case," Coumou said. "Drugs, alcohol and stupidity. When you add them all together you end up with a senseless murder."

Television OK'd for Weber trial

Television cameras will be allowed in the courtroom during the trial of Timmy J. Weber, the man charged with killing his girlfriend and her teenage son in Las Vegas.

Jury selection in the trial was expected to begin this morning. Weber, 28, faces the death penalty.

Deputy Public Defender Joseph Abood argued that cameras from Las Vegas ONE, Cox cable Channels 1 and 39, cameras should not be allowed during the trial because it would prejudice his client. The channel is partly owned by the Greenspun family, which owns the Sun.

But District Judge Joseph Bonaventure said he would allow one camera in the courtroom in the interest of "balancing Weber's right to a fair trial with the First Amendment rights of the press."

Bonaventure said cameras will be prevented from taping testimony of the alleged victim or any "sensitive" photographs that may be entered into evidence.

Zimmerman new Justice Court chief

Las Vegas Justice Court has a new chief judge.

Justice of the Peace Ann Zimmerman was elected to the position in November by eight justices of the peace. Her term officially began Jan. 8.

Zimmerman served as a deputy attorney general for the state from 1997 to 2000, where she was responsible for prosecuting insurance fraud and other theft-related crimes.

She has been a justice of the peace since her election in 2001.

Justice of the Peace Tony Abbatangelo was elected to serve as the court's vice chief judge. Las Vegas Justice Court is responsible for initial appearances and preliminary hearings at the criminal level, civil matters of $7,500 and below and traffic violations in Clark County. It is located in the Clark County District Courthouse at Fourth Street and Carson Avenue.