Las Vegas Sun

February 11, 2012

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Court denies appeal for Nevada death row inmate

By Cy Ryan (contact)

Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2009 | 12:53 p.m.

CARSON CITY – The Nevada Supreme Court denied the latest appeal of death row inmate William B. Leonard, convicted of killing a fellow inmate at the Nevada State Prison in October 1987.

The court said Leonard was barred from filing his latest petition for a writ of habeas corpus because it was past the deadline.

In his petition, Leonard said the jury in 1988 was not properly instructed and there was an “oppressive law enforcement presence in the courtroom during the trial.” The court said he had already raised those arguments, which were previously rejected.

Leonard was in prison for killing two men in 1981 in Mineral County. He was then convicted of the murder of fellow inmate Joseph Wright, who was stabbed 31 times. Prison officials said Leonard had a smile on his face when guards took him into custody.

Leonard, who is 49 and at the state prison in Ely, maintains he was acting in self defense.

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