Ex-attorney sentenced to life in slaying of his wife in 2000

Friday, March 4, 2005 | 11:05 a.m.

A judge called a former lawyer convicted of killing his ex-wife a "cold-blooded murderer" as he sentenced him this morning to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

A Clark County jury convicted Alfred Centofanti III to first-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon for the Dec. 20, 2000, shooting death of his ex-wife, 25-year-old Virginia "Gina" Eisenman. Centofanti waived the penalty phase of his trial.

District Judge Donald Mosley rejected Centofanti's stance that he committed a crime of passion when he shot his ex-wife seven times.

"This was not a crime of passion, but a crime of anger, more particularly an execution," Mosley said.

Mosley had the option of sentencing Centofanti to 40 years to life, but concluded the man who "maligned the victim and vilified her in an effort to support an argument for self-defense at trial" didn't deserve any leniency.

Deputy District Attorney Becky Goettsch said Centofanti has never expressed any remorse about the murder. The prosecutor said making matters worse was the fact Centofanti was caught telling "bold-faced lies" when he took the stand to testify at trial.

Even before the trial, Goettsch said Centofanti spread lies about his ex-wife telling neighbors she was a drug user and a child abuser in hopes it would support his self-defense claim.