Man sentenced to life in claw hammer death

Heather Cory

Public defender Joseph Abood, left, sits with Vincent DiBerardino as they listen to the pleas of Stephanie Zweig’s family to give DiBerardino life without parole during his sentencing hearing at the Las Vegas Regional Justice Center on Thursday.

By Jeff Pope

Thursday, Oct. 9, 2008 | 2:25 p.m.

Vincent DiBerardino sentenced (10-9-2008)

Launch slideshow »

Vincent DiBerardino

Stephanie Zweig

Stephanie Zweig was a caring person who opened her home to a man down on his luck, her relatives say.

When the relationship soured, Zweig tried to kick him out and he beat her to death with a hammer.

Prosecutor Sandra DiGiacomo characterized Vincent DiBerardino, 59, as a violent loner who mooched off others to fuel his gambling habit. District Court Judge Michael Villani today sentenced DiBerardino to life in prison without parole for first-degree murder with a deadly weapon.

Zweig, 57, died June 19, 2006, in a home she rented at 3133 Strawberry Park Dr., near Warm Springs and Pecos roads, and shared the home for a few months with DiBerardino.

During the trial, DiBerardino claimed Zweig hit him first with the claw hammer. During sentencing, Villani said the evidence didn't support that account, but did show Zweig probably lived through many of the more than 70 blows inflicted to her head.

“One could state she was tortured,” Villani said. DiBerardino declined to speak at his sentencing. His attorney, public defender Joseph Abood, said DiBerardino is being treated for depression “with psychotic features” brought on by the guilt he felt after his actions.

He’s received medication for depression, bi-polar disorder and schizophrenia since being incarcerated in the Clark County Detention Center.

Following the murder, DiBerardino drove Zweig’s Mercedez-Benz SL to Colorado, where he attempted suicide in a hotel room.

A jury also found DiBerardino guilty of robbery with a deadly weapon.

Abood argued DiBerardino’s sentence should include the possibility of parole because of his mental illness. DiBerardino is also undergoing dialysis treatment, so it’s unlikely he’ll live long, Abood said.

Granting the possibility of parole, “recognizes that this miserable thing that Vinnie did in the last part of his life was not all that Vinnie was,” he said.

Dr. Thomas Reale, Zweig’s brother, said his family also suffers from mental illnesses brought on by the violent way that she died. Reale said he and several other family members take medication and therapy for depression.

“He’s taken from me and everybody what meant so dear to all,” Reale said. “I say hang him and hang him high.”

Jeff Pope can be reached at 990-2688 or jeff.pope@hbcpub.com.