Las Vegas Sun

March 18, 2024

Chaos erupts in court’s hallway after sentencing

The sentencing of two people who killed a 57-year-old man turned into a screaming and slapping match between their relatives in the hallways of the courthouse Tuesday.

Seconds after District Judge Donald Mosley had sentenced Robert McDonald to 10 to 25 years and McDonald's former girlfriend, Jennifer Dolezal, to eight to 21 years in prison for killing James Eady in his home at 124 Metropolitan Drive, members of Dolezal's family confronted members of McDonald's family.

Dolezal, 23, was being lead out of court in chains when she turned to McDonald's mother and said, "I just got eight years because of your son."

McDonald's mother shot back, "No you didn't. I remember you doing drugs at my house."

As McDonald's mother left the courtroom, she went face to face with members of Dolezal's family and they began arguing over whether McDonald or Dolezal was to be blamed for the other's punishment.

One of Dolezal's relatives spat in the face of McDonald's mother, who then wiped her face off and smacked Dolezal's mother's face.

As lawyers and some of the less agitated relatives tried to separate the furious mothers, 34-year-old McDonald managed to shimmy over to the door despite the ankle chains and handcuffs he was wearing. He tried to get into the hallway saying, "That's my mom. They can't do that to her."

McDonald's attorney, Michael Printy, turned around and appeared startled to see McDonald at the door. He quickly escorted him back into court.

After bailiffs finally restored order, the two sides of the family feud were separated and escorted out of the courthouse separately.

The reason Dolezal was outraged was she had expected to be sentenced to only four to 10 years of prison under the terms of the plea agreement she entered with prosecutors.

On May 4 Dolezal had pleaded guilty to being an accessory to murder, grand theft auto and conspiracy to commit robbery. As part of the agreement prosecutors said they would not argue for the counts to be served consecutively.

Although Deputy District Attorney Marty Hart didn't directly argue for the counts to be served consecutively he did say he would like District Judge Donald Mosley to follow the recommendation of the Parole and Probation Department.

Mosley did just that. The department's recommendation was that Dolezal serve all three sentences consecutively.

Dolezal's attorney, Ben Bingham, alleged that the consecutive sentences violated the plea bargain that prosecutors had struck with Dolezal. Dolezal had agreed to testify against McDonald, in exchange for concurrent sentences, Bingham said.

Bingham said although Dolezal never testified in court because McDonald opted to plead guilty to second-degree murder, the agreement Dolezal entered into simply said "she had to agree to testify."

The defense attorney said Dolezal cooperated with the prosecutors and told them exactly what happened the night of the murder and now "has nothing to show for it."

"This certainly seems like a more-than-ripe issue for appeal," Bingham said.

As for McDonald, Mosley didn't follow the department's recommendation in his case.

McDonald pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and although the Parole and Probation Department recommended he serve a term of 10 years to life in prison, Mosley agreed with the terms of McDonald's negotiations and sentenced him to 10 to 25 years in prison.

McDonald and Dolezal each will get 509 days of credit for time served.

McDonald and Dolezal originally had faced charges of murder, conspiracy and robbery with a deadly weapon.

In a brief statement Dolezal said she was "sorry for the victim and the victim's family." She added she had been a changed person since being incarcerated and, more importantly, since she had quit using methamphetamine.

"In the last 16 to 17 months in custody I'm completely changed, I'm a completely new person," Dolezal said. "I made the wrong decision and was addicted to meth. I now know I have nothing without my sobriety."

McDonald said he "pleaded guilty to take responsibility for a rash and impulsive act," but seemed to stop short of accepting full responsibility.

"I was instigated into doing so, but that's no excuse," McDonald said.

The sister of the murder victim, Marilyn Hatfield, said her brother loved to race trucks and cars competitively and had a "heart as big as one's heart can be."

Hatfield, who lives in Canada, said when her brother moved to Las Vegas seven years ago he would "send me e-mails saying I love you, but now I don't get those anymore."

She said her brother could "have easily lived 30, 40, 50 more years because my dad was 92 when he died."

"I think they should be punished for their crime," Hatfield said.

Officers discovered Eady's decomposing body on Nov. 15, 2002, after his sister asked police to check on him because she had been unable to reach him.

Eady, a customer service representative with a home developing company, had been shot three times in the torso and stabbed once with scissors, according to the arrest warrant. His 1991 Ford F-150 pickup truck was missing and his house had been ransacked.

Police allege Eady had bought methamphetamine from McDonald in the past, and about a week before his body was found, the couple went to Eady's house with a plan to steal from him. They discussed the possibility of having to kill him if necessary, police said in the report.

According to police, Dolezal was to keep Eady occupied in the master bedroom while McDonald looked through his house for things to take.

Police believe Eady "accepted Dolezal's friendly overtones as a prelude to sex," according to the arrest report.

Dolezal then apparently panicked and McDonald, enraged, ran into the room and shot and killed him, police said.

McDonald and Dolezal stole Eady's laptop computer and pickup truck, then went to a friend's house where they burned their bloody clothes in a barbecue pit, police said.

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