Reminder:
Media Planning Call Wednesday (Sept. 3) at 10 a.m. PDT
218-486-7200 Enter Bridge Number: 716XXX
We will discuss planning needs for:
A trial involving the owner of the Las Vegas Sands and a Hong Kong businessman has begun in District Court Department 12. The lawsuit, Suen v. Adelson, is expected to continue through the month and into May.
Suen claims that Adelson failed to pay him for his work in helping the Las Vegas Sands obtain a gambling permit in Macau. Adelson contends Suen did nothing and did not have a hand in helping the Sands obtain the gambling license. The lawsuit was filed in 2004 and is being heard in front of District Court Judge Michelle Leavitt.
A District Court jury found Dr. Harriston Bass Jr. guilty on all counts this morning, including murder and multiple charges of sale of a controlled substance. Bass was remanded into custody and will be sentenced April 22 in District Court Department 5.
Opening statements in State v. Mack began this morning shortly after 10 a.m. in District Court Courtroom 10D.
The District Attorney’s Office detailed a timeline, motive and method of the crimes alleged to have been committed by the defendant Darren Mack. Prosecutor Robert Daskas detailed how Mack allegedly premeditated the death of his wife and made a list of things he had to do to accomplish the murder. He then told the jury the defendant intended to murder District Court Judge Chuck Weller of Reno. Photographs of the crime scenes were displayed to the jury, as well as videotaped statements made by the defendant.
Defense attorney Scott Freeman portrayed Darren Mack as an abused husband who was under intense pressure during his divorce from Charla Mack, whom Freeman described as a violent individual with a split personality. Freeman described a highly contentious relationship between the Mack’s, which extended itself into the divorce proceedings.
Freeman then described events on the day Charla Mack died, telling jurors Darren Mack was attacked by Charla Mack and he was defending himself from her assault.
Defense Attorney David Chesnoff told the jury that Darren Mack suffers from a delusional disorder that prevents him from seeing reality and that he believes things that a reasonable person would discount or dismiss. He explained that Mack shot Judge Weller because he believes that the Second Amendment allows individuals to use weapons as a defense against tyrrany. Chesnoff explained that Mack didn’t intend to kill the judge and that he was only sending a message about the unfairness he believed he had experienced from the court system in his divorce case.
The trial is expected to continue this afternoon following a lunch break at 12:30 p.m. with witness testimony.
The final jury pool of 35 potential jurors has been selected in State v. Mack. Tomorrow morning (Oct. 24) the attorneys will exercise their preemptive challenges and seat the final jury of 15 jurors for the trial. Judge Douglas Herndon expects opening statements will occur tomorrow morning around 10 a.m. in Courtroom 10D. Media seating will be arranged this afternoon and discussed during a meeting at 3 p.m. in Courtroom 10D.
The court reached a total of 20 potential jurors for the final jury pool this afternoon. Court resumes tomorrow (Oct. 19) at 8:30 a.m. in Courtroom 10D.
Tags: Mack
After three days of jury selection in Clark County, a few distinct comparisons can be made regarding the voir dire process.
In Washoe County, the court evaluated the questionnaires of, and/or interviewed, 140 out of the first 160 jurors and had passed for cause only 12 jurors to the final jury pool. Out of those 12 jurors, the court lost one when it became aware of new information regarding the juror’s involvement in a Family Court proceeding. Additionally, a second juror in the final pool was under reconsideration, and likely would have been excused due to distinct opinions about the case.
Also of great concern to the court was the fact that every individual passed for cause to the final juror pool had an opinion about the case and had been exposed to and/or influenced in varying degrees by pre-trial media coverage.
In Clark County, as of 4 p.m. Wednesday (Oct. 17), the court evaluated the questionnaires of, and/or interviewed, 62 jurors out of the potential jury pool of 200 and passed for cause 15 of those jurors to the final jury pool.
In Washoe County, the court found the prospective jurors knew about the case, had formed an opinion, or knew someone associated with the case.
In Clark County, the prospective jurors have uniformly indicated that they have little to no knowledge about the case or the individuals involved in the case. Few of the prospective jurors have expressed any opinion about guilt or innocence.
During voir dire, attorneys have focused on substantive matters, such as the prospective jurors’ opinions on divorce, child custody, punishment and possible defenses. In Clark County, the court has not had to focus exclusively on pre-trial publicity.
Tags: Mack
Jury selection started at 1:30 p.m. with the attorneys interviewing eight potential jurors today. When jury selection ended at 6:30 p.m., two jurors were passed for cause and will be called back later in the week as the court seeks to find 35 jurors for the final jury pool. Today’s group of jurors, three men and five women, were asked about their knowledge of the case, their interests and opinions. Jury selection resumes at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow morning (Oct. 16).
Tags: Mack
Jury selection begins Monday (Oct. 15) at 10 a.m. in Courtroom 10D. Media wishing to sit in on jury selection should arrive on the tenth floor by 9:30 a.m. to check in with the Court Information Office. A total of 8 seats will be made available on a first-come basis. Jury selection will begin with general questions and then will proceed to individual questioning. A blank jury questionnaire will be made available to all interested media.
A media pool location has been set up on the corner of Third Street and Bonneville Ave. Larry Warner of CBS News has created a web page detailing the pooling arrangements. CBS News does not intend to videotape jury selection. Judge Herndon has yet to rule on the placement of a local pool camera during jury selection. Court Information Officer Michael Sommermeyer will notify local Media Representative Robert Martinez at KLAS by 9 a.m. if a camera will be allowed during jury selection.
All media wishing to participate in the television pool must submit media requests with the Court 72-hours prior to the start of the trial. A media pool area will be provided via microwave feed to the Clark County Parking Lot, near Bonneville Avenue.
A still pool photographer, as selected by the media, will be allowed to occupy a designated area of the courtroom.
Media wishing to obtain seats during this trial should contact Michael Sommermeyer, Court Information Officer, prior to the start of jury selection. Media must present credentials in advance to obtain media seating for this trial.
