Court briefs for April 5, 2005

Tuesday, April 5, 2005 | 9:31 a.m.

Woman faces trial in killing

A 25-year-old California woman pleaded not guilty on Monday in the killing of her boyfriend's 51-year-old mother.

Susan Aguilar of Fontana, Calif., is scheduled to stand trial before District Judge John McGroarty on May 31 for the killing of Guadalupe Hernandez during a family Thanksgiving celebration in Hernandez's home on the 1800 block of Battle Born Drive.

During Aguilar's two-day preliminary no witnesses could say whether Aguilar shot a gun or had a motive to kill Hernandez. Two witnesses testified Aguilar was at the scene of the crime and fled after the killing, but neither saw her shoot or possess a gun.

A third witness, Aguilar's ex-boyfriend and Hernandez's son, Francisco Hernandez, said after seeing his mother dead on the ground he saw Aguilar driving away from the house. He said he managed to get inside the car and Aguilar had a .38-caliber handgun sitting in her lap and told him "it was an accident."

Not-guilty pleas made in robberies

Two men accused of robbing two McDonald's restaurants and killing a convention attendee who attempted to stop them from fleeing pleaded not guilty Monday to charges in other robberies and burglaries.

Charles Anthony Walker and Shawn White are scheduled to stand trial Oct. 3 before District Judge Joseph Bonaventure on multiple counts of robbery, burglary and assault with a deadly weapon in connection with holdups of three 7-Elevens, a Jack in the Box restaurant and a Grumpy's Convenience Store in January.

They are already scheduled to stand trial Aug. 15 before Bonaventure in the Jan. 21 killing of 49-year-old Thomas Latimer of Maitland, Fla., and multiple charges of robbery and burglary.

Both Walker and White face the possibility of the death penalty if convicted.

Latimer, who was attending the World of Concrete show at the Las Vegas Convention Center, was killed when he tried to stop robbers from fleeing with money they stole from a McDonald's on Paradise Road near Twain Avenue.

Supreme Court rejects appeal

The Nevada Supreme Court on Monday dismissed the appeal of Las Vegas killer Edward L. Smith.

Smith had said his lawyers were ineffective at least 20 times during his trial and in his first appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court.

Smith, now 39, was convicted of the fatal stabbing of Martinque Tillman, 21, who suffered eight knife wounds in May 2001 in Smith's car at an apartment complex near Sierra Vista Drive and Cambridge Street. Smith told police it was a case of self-defense.

A jury convicted Smith in March 2002 of second-degree murder and sentenced him to two consecutive life terms in prison with the possibility of parole after 10 years.

Among Smith's complaints: His trial attorney failed to object to the introduction of a copy of the tape recording of his admission to police that he had killed Tillman. He said the trial lawyer should have required the original tape to be introduced.