Teen killer must spend more than 20 years in prison

Friday, April 9, 2004 | 9:46 a.m.

A 16-year-old boy who killed a Las Vegas man while robbing his home will be eligible for parole in a little less than 21 years because jurors gave him a break, District Court Judge Joseph Bonaventure said Thursday while sentencing Mark Ford.

Instead of convicting Ford of first-degree murder, jurors found him guilty of second-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon and robbery in connection with the Feb. 24, 2003, killing of 56-year-old Vincent Gomes.

Ford stabbed Gomes in the neck after breaking into his home in a gated community near Grand Canyon Drive and Sahara Avenue, where Ford was a former resident.

Ford himself testified during trial that he entered the home looking for money, but he did not think anyone was home at the time and had no intention of killing anyone. Ford said he stabbed Gomes in the neck to stop him from making a 911 call.

Bonaventure sentenced Ford to 10 years to life for the murder charge, another 10 years to life for the weapons enhancement and 22 to 96 months for the robbery charge, all to be served consecutively.

That makes Ford eligible for release from prison after 21 years and 10 months, at the earliest. He has already served 409 days.

"He's going to spend more time in prison than he's even been alive on this earth," Chief Deputy Public Defender Curtis Brown said. "And there's nothing anyone can do about it."

Brown argued for the minimum sentence, considering Ford's age.

"The court has the power to give someone hope that someday" he will be released from prison, Brown said.

Bonaventure also said he received several letters from Ford's family and friends asking for leniency so that Ford may someday have the chance to be a good family member and citizen. Ford himself apologized to the victim's family and to his own family for "all I put them through."

The prosecution, however, argued for the maximum sentence in this case, life with no possibility for parole for at least 26 years.

The egregious nature of the crime teamed with several juvenile violations showed that Ford's bad behavior was only escalating and would likely get worse in prison, Chief Deputy District Attorney Jim Sweetin said.

Sweetin also said Ford has shown no remorse, an opinion Bonaventure said he concurred with in sentencing Ford.

Roberta Gomes, the victim's ex-wife and owner of the home where he was living, also addressed Ford during the sentencing hearing.

Roberta Gomes did not ask for a specific punishment for Ford, but told the teen she hoped his sentence would give him time to "justify to himself" his actions.

"This young man invaded my home with the intent to do wrong, reacting not as a child who would have run in fear, but as a criminal, who grabbed a kitchen knife and stabbed Mr. Gomes," Roberta Gomes said.