Saturday, July 03, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Judge denies bail for slaying suspect

Garrett accused in Wal-Mart beating death

Raymond Garrett appears in Justice Court on Friday. Photo by Gary Thompson.

A man accused of beating a retired Air Force major to death in a Wal-Mart parking lot was back in court Friday, a little more than two weeks after he disappeared while out on bail.

During his appearance before Justice of the Peace Douglas Smith, Smith told Raymond Alton Garrett that he will be held without bail "because of your threat to society."

Garrett, a large, muscular man, faces a July 16 preliminary hearing on charges of battery, robbery, conspiracy and open murder.

The charges stem from an attack on Michael Born, 51. Authorities said Garrett punched Born on June 2 in a Wal-Mart parking lot near Nellis and Charleston boulevards. Born, who also was robbed, died days later of head injuries.

Garrett quickly was taken into custody after the attack, but he was released when he posted a $16,000 bail set by Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Karen Bennett-Haron. When Born died and Garrett was charged with murder, police could not find Garrett.

On Wednesday night, after more than two weeks on the lam, Garrett was located by police at the San Michelle Apartments on Lake Mead Boulevard near Jones Boulevard.

Garrett previously served 15 years in prison for a 1990 robbery conviction.

Lee McMahon, an attorney with the Special Public Defender's Office, appeared in court Friday on Garrett's behalf. She declined to comment on the case, saying she hadn't received any documentation yet from Garrett's file.

Born's family has expressed outrage at the fact that Garrett was out of custody when Born died. They have described the bail set by Bennett-Haron as too low.