Court rejects appeal in sports book killing

Thursday, Aug. 25, 2005 | 9:23 a.m.

SUN CAPITAL BUREAU

CARSON CITY -- The Nevada Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected for a second time the appeal of Anthony Cuccia Jr., who gunned down another man in a Las Vegas sports book in February 2000.

Cuccia claimed his defense lawyers were ineffective in at least 12 instances, including failing to secure documents and witnesses to verify that he had prior connections to the Mafia. He said there was evidence the Mafia had put out a contract to kill him.

The court said Cuccia presented testimony about the Mafia and his attempts to escape from contract killers. Investigating officers at the trial testified that the victim had no Mafia connections.

Phillip Greenspan was gunned down at the Stardust hotel sports book. Cuccia said he had to kill Greenspan before he was killed.

Cuccia, now 64, was sentenced to consecutive life terms without parole.

The court rejected Cuccia's first appeal in February 2004.

The court also denied the petition of Vincent H. Pinder, sentenced to 10 to -25 years for second-degree murder in Clark County.

Pinder, now 29, claims he was coerced into entering his guilty plea in December 2003 in District Court. The court said Pinder signed a plea agreement that he was not acting under duress or coercion.

It said Pinder received "a substantial benefit by entry of his guilty plea because he avoided a potential conviction of first-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon and a possession of a firearm by an ex-felon.

Pinder was convicted of the fatal shooting of Duan T. Wilson, 28, because he was jealous after seeing Wilson driving around in the car of Pinder's former girlfriend.