High court rejects appeal of LV killer

Tuesday, April 26, 2005 | 9:40 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Supreme Court on Monday rejected the appeal of 22year-old -Nerron Wormley, who is serving consecutive life sentences with the possibility of parole for killing a man outside a nightclub in Las Vegas.

Wormley was convicted of second-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon for the fatal shooting of Joseph E. DelaCruz, who apparently was trying to stop a fight between two men outside Hurricane Harry's on Sahara Avenue in May 2002.

Wormley maintained there should have been a mistrial declared by District Judge Nancy Saitta because of remarks made by Deputy District Attorney Jerome Tao during closing arguments. Tao suggested that Wormley's lawyer, Deputy Public Defender Howard Brooks, was even surprised by the suspect's claim of self defense.

The court said Saitta properly sustained the objection made by Brooks and she told Tao to confine his comments to what the evidence had shown.

The Nevada Supreme Court said, "Given the overwhelming evidence of Wormley's guilt, we conclude that no reversible error occurred."

In another case, the state's high court ruled that prison inmates have no constitutional right to offer legal assistance to other prisoners.

The court upheld District Judge Mike Griffin of Carson City who ruled against Curtis L. Downing. Downing had complained his constitutional rights were violated by the prison guards who allegedly had retaliated against him for helping other inmates with their legal cases.

The court backed Griffin, who ruled that an inmate law clerk has no right to perform any particular function in prison, has no right to employment and the prison has the right to prohibit inmate law clerks from charging for their services.

Live chat: Tuesday, noon PST; Chat with Krista Creelman; Problem Gambling Center executive director Krista Creelman will answer questions about gambling addiction from Las Vegas Sun readers from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. ... Submit question