Butler sentenced to death in two skinhead killings

Erica D. Johnson

Friday, March 14, 2003 | 8:52 a.m.

An alleged racist skinhead convicted of killing two men in desert northwest of Las Vegas was sentenced to death Thursday in District Court.

A jury in 2001 convicted John Butler on two counts of first-degree murder in the 1998 shootings of Las Vegans Lin Newborn, 25, and Daniel Shersty, 20. The jurors recommended Butler die for his crimes.

District Judge Michael Douglas set a tentative execution date for June 2.

That date will be pushed back, however, because there will be an automatic appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court, said Defense Attorney Joseph Sciscento.

Butler, 30, who maintains his innocence, praised Douglas, who is black, for his professionalism during the trial.

"I just want to say thank you judge, for being more than fair to me during the whole process of this trial," he said.

Douglas had kind words for Butler in return.

"Mr. Butler has been a model prisoner and was very cooperative to the court staff as he came and went," Douglas said.

Though Butler's family members packed the courtroom, they were not allowed to speak during the sentencing. Butler blew them a kiss as security guards led him from the courtroom.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Christopher Laurent maintained Butler, the leader of a Nazi skinhead group, shot the men after his girlfriend and an unknown woman lured them to the scene under the guise of a date.

Butler allegedly disliked the men because they were members of an anti-racist skinhead movement.

Prosecutors claimed Butler, along with Melissa Hack and Joseph Justin, were seen at the murder scene after the slaying and Justin testified that they were picking up incriminating evidence.

But Sciscento said Justin's testimony was influenced by the prosecutors' offer to dismiss multiple felony counts against Justin in exchange for his story.

Sciscento claimed Hack's brother, Ross, and his roommate, Daniel Hartung, committed the murders. The two men allegedly fled the country after the incident.

Ross Hack is believed to be in Ireland and Hartung is believed to be in Argentina, Sciscento said. Neither has been charged in the case.

Sciscento also claims another witness, Caroline Toggi, told prosecutors she recognized someone in the courthouse as being at the scene of the crime, but prosecutors never told him.

Douglas ordered a new penalty phase as a result. But his decision was overruled by the Nevada Supreme Court, who called prosecutors' failure to provide the information a "harmless error."

Though Sciscento doesn't deny his client's association with the skinhead gang, he said Butler was simply hanging around with the wrong crowd.