Jurors Deliberate in Slaying of Tourist

Jurors deliberated Thursday the fate of a young man accused of murdering a 64-year-old German tourist and wounding her husband last year at a scenic mountain overlook.

“This case is one of the strongest cases ever presented to a jury,” Deputy Dist. Atty. Richard Bentley said in closing arguments Wednesday.

He said witness identifications, physical evidence and a confession show that Thongxay Nilakout, 18, was clearly the man who shot Gisela Pfleger.

Klaus Pfleger, her husband, testified that he and his wife were sightseeing at Indian Vista Point south of Banning on May 16, 1994, when they were shot and robbed.

The Superior Court jury in Nilakout’s case selected a foreman Wednesday. Another jury that will rule on co-defendant Khamchan Bret Ketsouvannasane, 20, heard closing arguments Thursday. The defendants had a joint trial.

Pfleger, who underwent surgery last week in Palm Springs after he testified, identified Nilakout from the witness stand as the gunman.

Nilakout’s attorney, Stuart Holmes, cautioned the jury not to act too hastily, suggesting there was reasonable doubt that Nilakout was the killer.