Nevada Panel Sentences Killer of 4 to Death

A three-judge panel sentenced a convicted murderer to death Wednesday for the execution-style killings of four men during an August 1998 home robbery.

Members of the victims’ families clapped after the verdict was read. Defendant Donte Johnson showed no emotion.

“We’ve waited a long time,” said Juanita Talamantez, mother of victim Peter Talamantez, 17. “It doesn’t bring my baby back, but it sure does feel good.”

The panel took less than an hour to reach the verdict.

“To have judges come back in such a quick manner, it really throws a new light on how we do some things in Nevada,” defense attorney Dayvid Figler said.

The hearing began Monday after the Nevada Supreme Court refused to stop the proceedings.

Johnson’s attorneys wanted the sentencing stopped on grounds that the use of judicial panels is unconstitutional. But the high court said there was no reason to intervene at this point.

Johnson, 23, has an automatic appeal to the Supreme Court.

The panel got the case after jurors couldn’t agree last month on a sentence for Johnson. The same jury convicted him of the murders.

Jurors also convicted Johnson of robbery, kidnapping, burglary and conspiracy. Sentencing on those counts is set for Sept. 7.

Two other men involved in the incident were sentenced to life in prison without parole in separate trials last year.

“He deserved the harshest penalty because of what he took away” from the victims, Chief Deputy Dist. Atty. Gary Guymon said.

Clark County District Judge Jeffrey Sobel and Washoe County District Judges Steven Elliott and Michael Griffin constituted the panel.

Authorities believe Johnson fired a single bullet into the back of the head of each of the four victims, who had been bound with duct tape. The robbery netted about $240, a pager, a videocassette recorder and a home video game system.

Also killed were Jeffrey Biddle, 19, Tracey Gorringe, 20, and Matthew Mowen, 19.