Pair plead guilty in Whaley killing

Friday, April 16, 2004 | 9:53 a.m.

Two of the six young men charged in the slaying of Silverado High School student Jared Whaley pleaded guilty to their involvement Thursday.

Gerald Wilks, 20, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder, and Shane Johnson, 17, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder before District Judge Donald Mosley.

Both young men entered plea agreements with the district attorney's office that require them to testify against their codefendants, Matthew Baker, 18, Stephen Stringfield, 19, and brothers Shane Myers and Cody Myers, both 18. Those teens were scheduled for a preliminary hearing in Boulder City Municipal Court this afternoon.

Whaley's mother, Patricia Knight, sat in the back of the courtroom Thursday with two other family members and audibly sobbed as Wilks and Johnson entered their pleas.

Police allege that the teens, led by Baker, kidnapped, robbed and murdered Whaley because he interfered in their drug dealing and smoked some of the marijuana they planned to sell.

Wilks did not participate in the Oct. 14 murder of Whaley, but told police he did know about the conspiracy to kill Whaley and had stood as lookout on a previous attempt to poison the teen.

Wilks faces two to 10 years in prison for the conspiracy charge when sentenced in September. His attorney, Special Public Defender Ivette Maningo, said the offense is probational.

Johnson told police he hit Whaley with a stun gun after the group had gotten Whaley drunk and dragged him out to the dry lake bed off U.S. 95, just south of U.S. 93, on false pretenses of going four-wheeling. There the teens beat, shot and buried Whaley in a shallow grave.

Johnson's plea agreement stipulates that he serve life in prison with eligibility for parole after 20 years.

Johnson's attorney, Deputy Public Defender Bob Amundson, said Johnson accepted the plea agreement because it dropped all other charges, including the deadly weapon enhancement on the murder charge that automatically doubles an individual's sentence.

If Johnson had been convicted of first-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon, he could have faced life in prison without eligibility for parole or with eligibility for parole after 40 years.

Amundson said Johnson also wanted to take "full responsibility" for his actions.

"He wants to step forward and get this behind him," Amundson said.

The sentences for Wilks and Johnson have been postponed until September because each must testify against their codefendants.

In police interviews, Wilks and Johnson both confessed their involvement.

Johnson told police that he, Shane Myers and Baker beat Whaley, and that Baker shot Whaley in the torso and in the head. The teens then stripped Whaley and attempted to make him unrecognizable by punching out his teeth before burying the body.

Cody Myers' role in the murder was loading the 20-gauge shotgun Baker used to shoot Whaley, both Cody Myers and Johnson told police.

Prosecutors now believe Stringfield was not at the scene, but that he was part of the conspiracy to murder Whaley.

Along with the other remaining three defendants, Stringfield is still charged with murder with use of a deadly weapon, kidnapping with use of a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit murder and robbery with use of a deadly weapon.

Jason Weiner, Stringfield's attorney, maintains his client's innocence on all charges.

Attorneys for Cody Myers, Shane Myers and Baker were not available for comment Thursday.