Edward Halverson pleads not guilty to attempted murder

By Mary Manning

Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2008 | 11:25 a.m.

After pleading not guilty to attempted murder charges in District Court today, 49-year-old Edward Halverson, accused of beating his wife, Judge Elizabeth Halverson, with a frying pan, had his trial set.

Edward Halverson is scheduled to go to trial on Dec. 1, charged with attempted murder and battery with substantial bodily harm with a deadly weapon for the beating of Judge Halverson on Sept. 4. His bail was set at $113,000 on Sept. 10 and he remains in the Clark County Detention Center.

Judge Halverson was taken to Sunrise Hospital, where she underwent surgery and received 100 staples to close wounds, a police report said.

Judge Halverson called 911 on Sept. 4 after Metro Police said she was attacked by her husband. After knocking on the front door of their home in the 4100 block of Oxnard Circle and getting no answer, officers broke through a security gate.

Edward Halverson opened the front door, shirtless and wearing green camouflage shorts. He had blood on his shorts and his arms and legs, and had smears of blood on his back, a police report said.

Due to the domestic violence aspect of the call, officers placed Edward Halverson in handcuffs before they searched the rest of the house, the police report said.

In the master bedroom, officers found Judge Halverson sitting on the bed, bleeding profusely from the head with large gaping wounds, the police report said. Blood surrounded her and continued to flow from the severe head wounds, police said. Officers also noticed an odor of bleach in the air from efforts by Edward Halverson to clean the blood stains from the bedroom.

Judge Halverson was suspended from the bench in July 2007. She lost an August bid for re-election in the primaries.

She is awaiting a decision by the Nevada Commission on Judicial Discipline, which could permanently bar her from the bench after two weeks of hearings in August. Among a dozen complaints the commission heard, the judge was accused of sleeping on the bench and treating her staff like servants.

The judge has continued to receive a $130,000 annual salary during the suspension.