Supreme Court upholds two death penalty cases

By Cy Ryan

Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2011 | 6:23 p.m.

CARSON CITY – A man convicted of murdering three people during a robbery and another man convicted of killing in a dispute over a gambling jackpot have both lost their appeals to the Nevada Supreme Court to overturn their death sentences handed down in Las Vegas.

The court upheld the decision of Clark County District Judge Elissa F. Cadish who ruled the majority of claims by three-time killer Steven M. Homick are barred because they were filed 15 years after the Supreme Court decided his direct appeal.

This was Homick’s fourth appeal to the Supreme Court.

The court also rejected the appeal of Gregory N. Leonard, convicted of first-degree murder for strangling his roommate, 65-year-old Thomas Wilson, after a dispute over a progressive poker jackpot worth $3,548.

Homick was convicted of fatally shooting Bobbie Jean Tipton and her house cleaner, Marie Bullock, each three times in the head during a robbery of Tipton’s home. James Meyers, a deliveryman, rang the doorbell. Homick pulled him inside and shot him twice in the head and once in the chest.

The murder scene was discovered by David Tipton who came home to take his wife to lunch.

Homick was also convicted of robbery and burglary for taking expensive jewelry from the home.

Homick, through his lawyers, argued the prosecution withheld material evidence on his whereabouts on several dates in January 1986. The murder occurred in December 1985. The Supreme Court said this evidence was not material to the case.

Homick also claimed the prosecution interfered with his right to counsel for nine months while he was in California in jail on another homicide charge.

The court, in the decision written by Chief Justice Nancy Saitta, also rejected the claim that the district court jury received a flawed instruction on the elements of first-degree murder and his death penalty should be overturned.

In the Leonard case, the court said there was ample evidence to convict him of first-degree murder and hand down the death penalty for the November 1994 robbery-slaying.

The court said Leonard and Williams got in a “heated argument” on the night of the murder. After Williams was found strangled in his apartment, Leonard pawned several pieces of jewelry and firearms that were identified by witnesses as belonging to Williams.

A search of Leonards’ apartment also revealed pawn tickets related to those transactions and ammunition that fit Williams’ firearm.

The court, also in the decision written by Saitta, said there was premeditation shown. The evidence showed a ligature was wrapped twice around Williams’ neck and the strangulation took between 30 and 90 seconds.