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Rayshaun Coleman appears in Henderson Justice Court on Nov. 12 to face charges of first-degree murder, child abuse and neglect in the death of an infant earlier this year. The Clark County medical examiner testified the baby suffered from traumatic brain injuries.
Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2009 | 11:15 a.m.
Rayshaun T. Coleman
Sun Archives
Prosecutors have decided to seek the death penalty for a 21-year-old Henderson man accused of killing his girlfriend’s baby.
Rayshaun Coleman is charged with first-degree murder, child abuse and neglect. He pleaded not guilty to all charges Dec. 1 during his arraignment.
Tuesday morning he appeared in front of District Court Judge Michael Villani for a status check. Prosecutor Vicki Monroe told the court that the district attorney’s office is seeking the death penalty for Coleman and is ready to go to trial.
Public defender Randy Pike and Monroe agreed on an October 2010 trial date. Villani set the trial for 10 a.m. on Oct. 11.
Coleman asked Villani if the trial could be scheduled earlier. After the status check, Coleman spoke to Pike, saying “this is my life.”
Coleman’s case has been combined with that of the mother of the infant, 21-year-old Christal Hilburn-Gaynor, who has been charged with child abuse and neglect after leaving the infant in Coleman’s care while she was serving weekends at the Henderson Detention Center on domestic violence and battery charges.
Hilburn-Gaynor pleaded not guilty at her Dec. 1 arraignment to child abuse and neglect charges. The district attorney’s office is not seeking the death penalty for Hilburn-Gaynor, Monroe said.
Her attorney, Robert Glennen, said he hopes to file a motion next week that would separate the two cases. If the cases are separated, Glennen said Hilburn-Gaynor would have a trial before October 2010, possibly in late March. He said no motions have been filed.
Coleman was arrested March 8 after officers received a 911 call that a baby wasn’t breathing. Police arrived at the house in the 1900 block of Dunnam Street, near Pabco and Sunset roads, and found the baby beaten and burned, authorities have said.
During the preliminary hearing for Coleman, officers testified Coleman told them someone else must have entered the home and injured the baby while the boy was sleeping.
A Clark County medical examiner testified the baby died from traumatic brain injuries, including two fractures on the right side of the skull. The baby was five weeks, four days old. The infant’s death was ruled as a homicide.
Both Coleman and Hilburn-Gaynor are being held in the Henderson Detention Center. Coleman is being held without bail and Hilburn-Gaynor’s bail is set at $10,000.
CORRECTION: The Sun previously reported that David Schieck was in court to represent Rayshaun Coleman, however, it was special public defender Randy Pike. The names have been corrected. The Sun regrets this error. | (December 16, 2009)
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He did his braids cute for court too.
Oh well, let him fry :)
as a liberal, i believe child killers should get the care and compassion they didn't get growing up. they should be given housing, food, and a safe place to live.
Hi there,
in our country (germany) we don't have the death penalty and I think that's better. No human should kill another human and I think that the government should also not to be allowed to do that!
I think on even the worst crimes, including rapists of children and killers like Rayshaun there should be no law that allows to sentence them to death. Although it costs even more for the us citizens when they live to rest of their lives in prison, I think it's the harder penalty for the criminals.
I heard that a person that is sentenced to death in Nevada can self decide when to to carry out the death sentence. Is that right?
--------------------------------------------
Sorry for my (possible) bad english.
Herr Alexgerman,
Die Deutschen sollten Stick zu machen Sauerkraut und nicht sagen, was die Amerikaner tun, um Kriminelle.
Furthermore, this guy needs to get rid of David Schieck if he wants any chance at all of saving his life. Schieck is an admitted ineffective lawyer. He said so under oath.
If you got Schieck, it's Time To Shriek.
Hi JohnDeaux,
I just said that I think its better not to kill humans. I don't want to tell you what to do and what not to do. I just said what I think about this kind of penalty not more not less.
What does "Schieck" mean?
Alexgerman, The taxpayers are supposed to pay for his lifelong care in jail? Kudos to Henderson for making this an example. Child killers should all get the death penalty
The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany does not allow the death penalty. Maybe I just think in another way, because I never really get in touch with the law's your have. Or because I'm grown up with another perception of penalties.
I really don't want to cover Rayshaun. He should never get the chance to come back and have "a normal life" in freedom. He should be jailed to the end of his live, I think.
Hmmm, lets see ,the mother was in jail serving time and left the kid to the killer, so shes guilty for what the killer did? Helloooooo how could she be guilty of that crime if she was in jail already when the crime occured?, as far as he's concerned kill him ,kill him dead, K I L L him with no mercy from the court
Just put this piece of human garbage in the general population of the prison and announce what he did to be put into jail. The inmates will take care of his problem.
JohnDeaux.
I am working on a case that was poorly handled by David Shieck.
Care to share the info you have with me?
@alexgerman - I am in agreement with you. I'm an American and I think we should abolish the Death Penalty as it is crude, barbaric and a horrific way to deal with criminals. Before anyone gets on their high horse with me, I speak as someone who has a been affected by crime in the worst possible way. My 18 year old cousin was murdered in Southern California, shot up with battery acid. Her killer was never found and it has been 20 years now. Putting this monster to death won't bring my cousin back, it won't change her fate and it won't make me or any other family member "happy" or "at peace". It makes me wonder about people who are "so willing" to "pull the plug" or "shoot" the criminal? What does that say about you? Why are you so willing to kill??? As Gandhi said, "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."
You have to execute garbage like this guy,its population cleansing, I say speed up the process, as soon as they're sentenced the execution should follow. If you don't make the punishment harsh you end up with what we have now,a bunch of sickos.
I would like to say to all of the anti death penalty people... You are against the death penalty,, but what about the penalty of death for the people who werent sentenced to death and are dead from anothers actions... That child was beaten and burned for what reason... So this sick SOB could get his jollies from it... Theres a line that you shouldnt cross when comes to children...Even anyone else for that matter and when you take into your hands the death of another person then there are consequences to answer for.. If this loser would just be a man and admit what he did and plead quilty,, he would have a pleasurable life in prison along with others giving him what he deserves...He wants to play the system and he got the best representation that will do him justice..I believe an eye for an eye is what would be better suited for criminals that take others lives for their own benefit.. They should hang his A$$ from the center of town and make an example of what happens when you want to be a loser and not take responsibility for your actions... I would even supply the rope.... I say "HANG EM,,,HANG EM HIGH"
I want to add this,, If we had punishment of countries in the arab world for example...As in,, if you steal you lose a hand,, if you kill youre killed,,etc.,,etc..I would believe crime would not be a problem if that were the case,, and we wouldnt need to pay for anyones well being so they could sit in prison to think of another way to not get caught doing their crime.. There wouldnt be as many judges to pay or bigger courts to be built.. We would just have to pay a guy to swing a sword when need be... Then again there would be suicide bombers running the price of dynamite up,, so if anything you might get rich from that if you made dynamite... HANG EM I say..
At least the baby mama is also being held accountable too. People like this shouldn't be allowed to reproduce. As for those of you who argue that the death penalty cost more than life-imprisonment you are probably right however our government waste plenty of money as it is on other stuff, but at least watching him die is satisfying to the victim's family. There are those of us who would be more then will to cut the check to see him be gone for good.
poor baby, never even had a chance at a good life from the start.
It actually costs more to sentence someone to death than it does to incarcerate them for life.