Missing murder trial witness found

Friday, Jan. 7, 2005 | 8:23 a.m.

The witness whose failure to finish her testimony at a murder trial caused a mistrial has been located by authorities and is being held in the county jail.

April Register will likely remain in custody until she testifies in a new trial of 63-year-old Joe Armstead, whom Register said she saw shoot 48-year-old David "Indian Dave" Leal on July 17 at Leal's trailer home.

Register gave her account of what happened under the questioning of prosecutors during the second day of Armstead's trial on Dec. 7, but she failed to return to court the next day, subsequently denying Armstead his right to confront an eyewitness via cross-examination by his attorney.

Register, who appeared in chains before Vega on Thursday, has hired a lawyer and is hoping Vega will consider a motion to set bail at a future date.

Vega told Register that her attorney would have to file the request in writing and that Register "should have returned the following day, but we are where we are and we will proceed."

Special Public Defender David Schieck said Register had failed to respond to a subpoena to testify at the trial and was only located the same day she testified after investigators found her at a 7-Eleven and got her on the witness stand within an hour of finding her, Schieck said.

Prosecutors allege Armstead went to Leal's trailer at the Desert Paradise Mobile Home Park at 4070 Las Vegas Blvd. North, and shot him in the chest after an argument.