Trial scheduled for suspect in homeless woman’s death

Wednesday, April 13, 2005 | 9:33 a.m.

A 51-year-old homeless man accused of strangling a 69-year-old homeless woman to death, a woman who would often help the accused with money from her Social Security checks, will stand trial, Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Ann Zimmerman ruled Tuesday.

Ronald Lennon is scheduled for arraignment before District Judge David Wall on April 27 for the murder of Mary Louise Moore on Aug. 1, 2003.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Pam Weckerly said Lennon's case would be sent to the district attorney's office's death penalty review committee to determine whether Lennon should face the possibility of death if convicted.

Lennon had been a key suspect ever since a maid at the Town Lodge Motel on North Seventh Street at Ogden Avenue reported finding Moore's body on Aug. 8, 2003, seven days after Moore had died.

Moore was found with a shoestring, leather purse strap and a cord used to open and shut the drapes of the motel room tied around her neck.

During Lennon's preliminary hearing on Tuesday, the key evidence presented was DNA found under one of Moore's fingernails that "could be attributed to Lennon" and conflicting statements Lennon made to Metro Police detectives and an Alabama sergeant.

Metro criminalist Tom Wahl said after testing one of Moore's fingernails he found a mixture of DNA. He said further testing determined the "major component" of the sample to be from Moore, but said a "minor component" could be Lennon's.

Wahl said only one individual in 468 million could be the source of the "minor component." He said under Metro policy the sample would have to be one in 600 billion for him to say it was definitely Lennon's DNA.

Wahl said while the DNA suspected to be Lennon's could have found its way under Moore's fingernail by "casual contact" such as a back scratch or handshake it was "highly unlikely."

Although Lennon was cooperative during his originally interview with detectives in Reno on Oct. 29, 2003, he disappeared soon after. He didn't surface again until Feb. 23, 2004 when he turned himself into police in Troy, Alabama, after he was featured on America's Most Wanted.

Metro Homicide Detective James Vaccaro said in Reno Lennon told him he knew Moore for roughly two years and was with her the entire day of her death.

Lennon told Vaccaro he met Moore in the morning at a storage unit where they both kept their belongings and Moore gave him $33 so he could pay his monthly fee. He said they then ate sandwiches provided by a charitable organization with Moore in the morning at a park.

Vaccaro said Lennon told him they proceeded to the El Cortez where Moore cashed her Social Security check and they gambled. Lennon said he then went to the Town Lodge Motel with Moore where she rented a room for the two of them.

The detective said Lennon told him he tried to sleep, but couldn't and ultimately went back to the El Cortez to gamble. When he returned to the motel to sleep Lennon said the door was locked and Moore wouldn't answer the door, according to Vaccaro.

Vaccaro said Lennon told him he decided to sleep in the backyard of a home downtown and when he woke up decided to leave Las Vegas and take the bus to Salt Lake City, but not before telling friends they could take all of his belongings from his storage unit.

Lennon said he decided to leave so hastily because he was afraid he'd gamble away all of his money if he didn't leave at once.

Vaccaro said Lennon later headed to Reno and the detective located him because Lennon began using a food stamp credit card and he was tracked down at a homeless shelter.

Troy Police Sgt. Calista Everage testified Tuesday that the statement Lennon gave her when he turned himself in was different from the story he shared with Metro detectives more than a year earlier in Reno.

Everage said Lennon told her that while at the motel room with Moore the strap on her purse broke. The sergeant said Lennon told her Moore began using a lighter to burn the drapes cord in attempt to use the cord as a makeshift shaft for the purse.

Lennon said when that failed they tried to use one of Moore's shoelaces, according to Everage.

The sergeant said Lennon told her he decided to go to a homeless mission to get Moore a new purse, but inexplicably took Moore's broken purse with him. Everage said Lennon told her when he got to the mission he threw Moore's purse in a Dumpster and decided to leave Las Vegas for Salt Lake City.