Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2008 | 3:18 p.m.
A local man has pleaded guilty to the murder of his granddaughter last year in Boulder City.
Ray Earl Jenks, 50, withdrew his original not guilty plea on Nov. 17 and pleaded guilty to a charge of second-degree murder.
He will be sentenced Jan. 8 in District Court in Las Vegas by Judge Donald Mosley. He faces a life sentence in prison with the possibility of parole after 10 years, or a 25-year sentence with the same parole possibility.
Jenks has been held in Clark County Detention Center without bond since his April arrest in the death of his seven-month-old granddaughter. He was originally charged with two felony counts: murder and abuse, neglect or endangerment of a child.
Alyssa Jenks was found unresponsive in her crib in Ray Jenks' Boulder City home last July, and died at Sunrise Hospital three days later.
An autopsy ruled her death the result of adult-induced non-accidental head trauma, and Boulder City detectives, after a yearlong investigation, found those injuries were sustained while Ray Jenks was caring for her.
Deputy Public Defender Scott Coffee thought the plea was fair.
"I don't think Mr. Jenks ever intended for this girl to die," he said. "When you take that into consideration, it was a fair sentence."
Cassie Tomlin can be reached at 948-2073 or [email protected].
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