Man who tried to hide weapon gets 2 to 5 years

Thursday, July 1, 2004 | 9:43 a.m.

A man who tried to hide a weapon used in a double slaying that police and prosecutors said was gang-related was sentenced Wednesday to two to five years in prison.

Chester Lee Henry, Jr., 25, was sentenced by District Judge Kathy Hardcastle for his role in an Aug. 2, 2002, drive-by shooting that resulted in all three defendants taking plea agreements that ensured they would be put behind bars but not serve life sentences.

Lawrence Doyle and Darrin Lay, both 23, pleaded guilty in April to voluntary manslaughter with use of a deadly weapon in promotion of a criminal gang. Doyle was sentenced to two to 15 years in prison and Lay is awaiting sentencing, the Clark County District Attorney's office said.

Henry pleaded guilty in May to being an accessory after the fact, a felony.

Clark County Deputy District Attorney Roger Cram said that while Henry did not participate in the actual shootings of Thomas Sterling, 22, and Reginald Slaughter, 18, "he was in the car at Martin Luther King (Boulevard) and Carey (Avenue) and took possession of the murder rifle.

"He transported the weapon from the vehicle and ran with it so that the weapon would not be in the possession of the shooter but was caught (by police). He had knowledge the crime had been committed and he tried to hide evidence."

Cram said it was necessary to strike deals in the case because of the potentially conflicting witness testimony. One witness would have testified that Doyle fired the shots, another would have testified that it had been Lay, Cram said.