Court rejects appeal of guilty plea

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Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2004 | 11:11 a.m.

SUN CAPITAL BUREAU

CARSON CITY -- The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected the appeal of Donald Towne, sentenced to life in prison without parole for the killing of a 15-year-old man in October 1992.

Attorney General Brian Sandoval said the appeals court denied the claim of Towne that his guilty plea was not voluntarily made.

Towne pleaded guilty in 1994 to the killing of Rory Sharp. He said at the time he hit Sharp on the head between four and seven times with a tire iron. Towne was arrested with four other persons who had lured Sharp into the desert. The victim was shot and his body buried.

Towne, now 30 years old and housed at the state prison in Lovelock, pleaded guilty to escape getting a possible death penalty.