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StumbleProsecutors to seek death penalty in 3 murder cases
Wednesday, April 21, 2010 | 4:29 p.m.
Harold Montague, accused of an assault with a medieval-style battle ax that killed a baby, hangs his head as he appears for an arraignment hearing at the Regional Justice Center, Wednesday, March 3, 2010.
Gregory Hover, 38, appears before Justice of the Peace Joseph Sciscento during his bail hearing Friday, Feb. 19, 2010, at the Regional Justice Center.
Richard Freeman, 18, is escorted into the courtroom for his bail hearing before Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Joseph Sciscento on Friday, Feb. 19, 2010, at the Regional Justice Center.
The district attorney’s office will seek the death penalty against a man accused of using an ax to chop a Las Vegas woman and her infant, an attack that left the woman disfigured and the baby dead.
Prosecutors are also seeking the death penalty for Richard Freeman and Gregory Hover, who are charged in the murder and sexual assault of a Hooters casino waitress, and against Will Onie Sitton, accused in the beating death of an elderly man.
The decisions came Wednesday after a meeting of the district attorney’s death penalty review committee, which evaluates cases after a preliminary hearing or grand jury indictment.
Harold Montague, 33, is facing multiple felony counts, including murder, attempted murder and attempted murder of a police officer in connection with an attack in the late morning of Feb. 11 in the 1600 block of San Pedro Avenue, near Sahara Avenue and South Maryland Parkway, on Sandra Lisset Castro and her baby, four-month-old Damian Avila Castro.
Authorities have said the attack, which happened shortly before noon in a residential neighborhood, appeared to be random in nature. Montague’s attorneys have said he will plead not guilty by reason of insanity when he is arraigned May 3.
Freeman and Hover are accused in two cases. Prosecutors will seek the death penalty against them on charges stemming from the kidnapping, sexual assault and murder of 21-year-old Prisma Contreras of Las Vegas.
Contreras, a waitress at the Mad Onion at the Hooters casino, was reported missing by her family after she didn’t return from a shift at work. Her body was found inside her burned Jeep Liberty by Boulder City Police in a rural area on Jan. 15.
The two men are also accused in a violent home invasion that left a man dead and the man’s wife with a gunshot to the face. Prosecutors have said elements of that case could lead them to pursue the death penalty, but no decision will be made in that case until after the conclusion of a preliminary hearing, which is set to resume Thursday.
Separately, Hover is facing a battery charge after allegedly slicing another inmate at the Clark County Detention Center.
Sitton, 47, and a co-defendant, Jacquie Schafer, 46, are facing multiple felony counts in connection with the death of 68-year-old Brian Haskell, who was found beaten to death in his condo late last year. Authorities said he could have been dead for a month before he was found.
Prosecutors opted not to pursue the death penalty against Schafer. A third co-defendant, Sitton’s brother, Robert Sitton, pleaded guilty in February to second-degree murder.
In Nevada, jurors make final decisions about capital punishment. First, a person must be found guilty of first-degree murder. In a separate penalty phase, jurors weigh aggravating circumstances against mitigating circumstances in reaching a decision.
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This is one of the best headlines I've seen in a long time!
Never happen. When the last execution of someone who didn't want to die?
Probably will be plea bargained. Life without parole.
USA only Country in western hemisphere with Death Peanalty.
More executions = less crime.
I don't want the ax guy on death row. He deserves general population in prison...they love child killers. Imagine everyday of being a child killer in the general population. I bet death would come to him much quicker than if he were on death row.
Public executions would make for great realty television ratings. The sponsors could fund the anti-appeal efforts.
YES!! Please give them the death penalty. Let murderers know that they will die if they take a life.
Good for them they all need to die, like animals put them down like they deserve to be, too bad the death penalty in this county is a joke, better meals, solitarty and free medical care until they die of old age vs the needle (I miss ole Sparky or better firing squad since its cheaper)
EVERYONE HERE SEEMS TO FORGET WHEN YOUR SENTENCE TO DEATH YOUR APPEALS ARE AUTOMATIC THATS TEN YRS OF APPEALS IS IT NOT ?
Hover has already attempted suicide, just let him keep trying until he gets the job done!
Hooray for the DA office. I will donate the rope to hang them or the pistol and bullets to shoot them in the head. Lets have a public stoning, I volunteer to throw the first one.
The sad thing is....David Roger is only seeking the Death Penalty to pull votes. This guy is the most corrupt person in Vegas. He's going against a former District Judge, Don Chairez for District Attorney and he needs the voter support. These guys really need the death penalty, but Roger is doing it all for the wrong reasons. The ax murderer may be a hard case for the death penalty because of his mental capacity.
I would like to see this happen,get rid of this want to be thugs.
Don't waste the time and effor David Roger, Nevada hasn't executed anyone in ages. Besides, puting this JA on "death row", makes him an instant celebrity. Life without parole works best. Of course all of those lawyers missing out on the billable hours for endless appeals might not like that one bit!! The criminal justice system is for the criminals anyway, METRO should have sent this JA to Mike Murphy instead of the courts!!!