Teen Ordered to Nevada in Girl’s Slaying

A Los Angeles judge Wednesday ordered that Jeremy Joseph Strohmeyer be extradited to Nevada on a governor’s warrant that charges the teenager as a fugitive in the sexual assault and murder of 7-year-old Sherrice Iverson.

During a proceeding that lasted only several minutes, Superior Court Judge Michael Kellogg paved the way for authorities to return Strohmeyer, 18, of Long Beach to Clark County as soon as circumstances permit. He remains in custody at the Men’s Central Jail. He did not speak during the court hearing, prompted by Gov. Pete Wilson’s June 16 warrant ordering the extradition.

Two weeks ago, Strohmeyer’s attorney, Leslie Abramson, sought to delay his extradition to determine if there were legal grounds for blocking it. But after review, the defense attorney, without explanation, did not file a challenge to the extradition.

With no other motions pending, the judge said Nevada authorities can pick up Strohmeyer as soon as they wish. “I’m sure it will be faster than a speeding bullet,” Abramson quipped in court before her client was returned to custody.

Although Abramson quickly left the courtroom and could not be reached for comment, Deputy Dist. Atty. William Ryder said the proceeding concluded the state’s role in the case. “California is out of it. It’s Nevada’s case,” he said.

In Nevada, Clark County Dist. Atty. Stewart Bell said Strohmeyer could be arraigned within days on charges that he kidnapped, sexually assaulted and then strangled the girl at the Primadonna Resort’s video arcade early May 25.

After the arraignment, Bell said, Strohmeyer would be entitled to a preliminary hearing on the charges in as little as 15 days.

Meanwhile, in Las Vegas, county officials and representatives of the gaming industry have struck a deal designed to improve safety in hotel-casino arcades.

A new ordinance, which is expected to be approved later this month by Clark County, would expand the county’s curfew on the Las Vegas Strip to include all arcades in unincorporated areas of the county, including near the state line.

Minors would be prohibited in larger arcades from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. weekdays, and from midnight to 5 a.m. weekends and school holidays unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. The ordinance would also require security guards--specially trained about pedophiles and child stalkers--to patrol arcades. In smaller arcades, the ordinance requires measures such as security cameras.

Although Strohmeyer has pleaded not guilty to the charges, Las Vegas police have insisted that he confessed to the crime during an interview with detectives. In a sworn declaration filed four days after the slaying, detectives said Strohmeyer told them he was playing a game of hide-and-seek with Sherrice in the arcade when she threw a “Caution--Wet Floor” sign at him and he became angry.

When she fled to a women’s restroom, Strohmeyer allegedly told detectives, he followed her inside and sexually assaulted her in a stall. Later, the declaration says, Strohmeyer attempted to quiet the girl when several women entered the restroom and, when they were gone, noticed Sherrice was having trouble breathing.

Fearing that she had been nearly suffocated and was “brain dead,” Strohmeyer allegedly said to detectives, he broke the girl’s neck because he “didn’t want her to suffer.”

Abramson has scoffed at that account of what occurred, claiming that Strohmeyer’s “so-called confession” was coerced during a lengthy interrogation during which he was denied legal counsel. The defense attorney also has charged that authorities questioned the teenager while his stomach was being pumped after an apparent suicide attempt.

Meantime, Bell said his office continues to consider Strohmeyer the only person who will be criminally charged in the girl’s death.

Two weeks ago, it was disclosed that Strohmeyer’s companion at the arcade, 18-year-old David Cash Jr., was prepared to testify against his friend. At the time, authorities said they had not struck any deal with Cash, who did not immediately come forward to report the slaying even though he later told authorities, according to the declaration, that Strohmeyer had confessed to the crime shortly after leaving the restroom.

“At this juncture, he remains a witness,” Bell said of Cash.

Similarly, the district attorney has said no charges are contemplated against Sherrice’s father, who had dropped the girl off at the arcade with her 14-year-old brother so he could gamble at the casino, officials have said.

“Iverson and Cash are basically in the same [category],” Bell said Wednesday. “At this juncture, we do not have information or evidence that would support charges being filed against Cash or Iverson . . . or anyone other than Strohmeyer. [But] if something changes, we have made no deals and would have the freedom, liberty and, indeed, the responsibility to file charges.”