Las Vegas Sun

March 19, 2024

Nevada justices uphold death penalty for Las Vegas killer

The Nevada Supreme Court Wednesday rejected the petition of death-row killer James Ray Walker, who claimed his attorney was incompetent at trial.

Walker was convicted in 2007 of the fatal stabbing of Las Vegas resident Christine Anziano, who he robbed as she was leaving a Sav-On drugstore at Lamb Boulevard and Bonanza Road on Aug. 23, 2003. During a 24-hour crime spree, Walker also robbed and stabbed a Las Vegas man in the back and stole a woman's purse from her car.

His girlfriend, Myrdus Archie, was sentenced to life in prison on a habitual criminal conviction.

Walker claimed there were at least 11 instances where his attorney was ineffective that led to his conviction. He also claimed in his petition for a writ of habeas corpus that there was misconduct by the Clark County District Attorney’s Office.

The court, in a 6-1 decision, disagreed with Walker that he didn’t get a fair trial because of the many alleged errors by his attorney. The ruling, authored by Chief Justice Mark Gibbons, upheld the decision by District Judge Valerie Adair.

Justice Michael Cherry dissented, saying the district court should hold an evidentiary hearing on some of the claims by Walker. He said there should be a hearing on Walker’s claim that his attorney failed to introduce expert testimony at trial and that the lawyer failed to challenge the admission into evidence of uncharged bad act evidence.

Walker had at least five prior convictions for such crimes as robbery and assault.

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