News briefs for Feb. 12, 2004

Thursday, Feb. 12, 2004 | 9:35 a.m.

Gunman sentenced to life for killing

A North Las Vegas man convicted of gunning down a young couple was formally sentenced Wednesday to life in prison without parole.

District Judge Joseph Bonaventure handed down the sentence to Joseph Antonetti, 27, on a charge of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon in the shooting that killed 20-year-old Mary Amina and injured her boyfriend, Danny Stewart, 30.

Antonetti was sentenced to an equal and consecutive sentence of life in prison without parole for the use of a deadly weapon.

Wednesday's sentencing was only a formality, however. Jurors had already convicted Antonetti and determined his punishment after a November trial. Antonetti was eligible for the death penalty.

The shooting occurred after Antonetti and a man named Michael Bartoli went to Amina's apartment near Decatur Boulevard and Twain Avenue on Dec. 1, 2002, to inquire about some of Bartoli's belongings.

Authorities say the men got into a heated argument with the couple and Antonetti opened fire. Amina was shot twice in the face. Stewart was shot in the nose and the leg. Defense attorneys had maintained that Bartoli was the gunman.

Goodman public meetings set

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman will have his monthly "Coffee with the Mayor" from 7:30 to 9 a.m. Feb. 27 at Starbucks, 855 S. Grand Central Parkway in the Las Vegas Premium Outlet mall. At 10 a.m., the mayor will be in council chambers, where residents can take to the podium and "tell the mayor their concerns."

Goodman and Councilwoman Lynette Boggs McDonald will host a series of neighborhood meetings in Ward 2. Residents are invited to discuss their concerns. All meetings start at 6:30 p.m. The schedule: Feb. 23 at MJ Christensen Elementary School, 9001 Mariner Cove; March 1 at Johnson Middle School, 7701 Ducharme; March 2 at Veterans Memorial Leisure Services Center, 101 S. Pavilion Center.

Poker legend pleads guilty

Legendary poker player "Amarillo Slim" has pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor assault charges in a case involving a 12-year-old girl.

Thomas Austin Preston Jr., 75, the poker's player's birth name, was sentenced to two years deferred adjudication and fined $4,000 by an Amarillo, Texas, judge on Tuesday.

In August a Randall County grand jury indicted him on three felony counts of indecency with a child by contact, accusing him of touching the girl on three dates in early 2003.

The plea to the less severe charges means the felony counts will be dropped and Preston will not be required to register as a sexual offender.

Robert Templeton, Preston's attorney, said the felony charges were dropped because prosecutors couldn't prove their case. Templeton says the misdemeanor counts also will be dismissed if Preston satisfies the terms of his probation.

Preston won the World Series of Poker in 1972 and was inducted in the Poker Hall of Fame in 1992.