ORANGE : Youth Agrees to Face Trial in Nevada Slaying

A 15-year-old Tustin boy accused of shooting a Carson City man to death agreed Tuesday to return to Nevada, where he automatically faces trial as an adult.

Peter Quinn Elvik decided against challenging extradition to Nevada during a juvenile court hearing here because he had no legal grounds to dispute the move, said his attorney, Deputy Public Defender Dean Allen.

“Generally, if you were in the state and the state wants you, they’ll get you,” he said.

Orange County Deputy Dist. Atty. Nancy Dupont said she expects Elvik will be taken to Carson City, Nev., by the end of this week.

Authorities there have charged Elvik in the shotgun slaying and robbery of 63-year-old retiree William Leon Gibson at a desolate rifle range along the Nevada River on Aug. 31.

Unlike California, Nevada has no provisions for trying an underage murder suspect as a juvenile. Under the state’s homicide laws, Elvik automatically will be tried as an adult, which means authorities there could choose to seek the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Carson City Deputy Dist. Atty. Anne Langer said her office has not yet decided what penalty to seek.

Allen said he doubts prosecutors will ask for death, given Elvik’s age and lack of prior convictions.

He said Elvik is holding up well under the circumstances.

“He’s concerned and worried, but he’s also awfully young,” Allen said. “I don’t think he’s fully comprehending the severity of what he’s facing or the gravity of the situation.” Elvik is a sometime resident of Tustin who had been living with his grandparents in Nevada before running away from their home the day before the murder. He is suspected of killing Gibson and stealing his car and handguns.

Elvik was arrested in Tustin on Sept. 1 after eluding a countywide manhunt for 17 hours.

At one point, Costa Mesa police cornered Elvik in a Costa Mesa motel room after spotting Gibson’s car parked in the motel’s lot and running a check on the license plate.

But a motel employee alerted the young fugitive by phone, giving the boy time to flee. Elvik was captured later walking down a street near his mother’s Tustin home.

Elvik’s family members have declined to comment.