News briefs for May 4, 2004

Tuesday, May 4, 2004 | 10:09 a.m.

Hearing postponed in crime spree

An evidentiary hearing scheduled for a man charged with murder, multiple sexual assaults and home robberies was postponed again Monday because of a scheduling conflict.

One of the attorneys in charge of testimony was called out of town, Chief Deputy Public Defender Curtis Brown said.

Defense attorneys have been trying for months to throw out the confession of Las Vegas resident Justin Porter, 21, on the basis that Chicago police coerced it from him, Brown said.

Police say Porter invaded 13 homes between Feb. 1 and June 9, 2000, killing one man and sexually assaulting six women. He was 17 at the time.

Sun photo editor wins award

Las Vegas Sun photo editor Amy Beth Bennett won first place in the Best of the West contest for sports photography.

Bennett's winning shot of Laila Ali landing a right to the face of Valerie Mahfood during a boxing match was taken for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, where Bennett was a staff photographer. Bennett has been the Sun's photo editor since November 2003. The photo was also run by Sports Illustrated on Nov. 18, 2002, as one of its two-page "Leading Off" photographs.

The Best of the West contest includes newspapers of all circulation sizes from Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Montana, Idaho, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

Pipe bomb found in stolen car

The Las Vegas Fire & Rescue Bomb Squad responded to the Sundance Village Apartments, 6500 W. Charleston Blvd. at Torrey Pines, at 11:45 a.m. Monday after a pipe bomb was found in a stolen car parked inside the complex.

The Bomb Squad rendered it safe at the scene, police said.

No one was injured, police said.