Thursday, March 31, 2005
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Deadly confrontation at car wash stuns friends

Stephen Shaw Charged with second- degree murder in death at car wash Lawrence Weiss Died two days after confrontation at Summerlin car wash

Friends described retired music executive Lawrence Weiss and chiropractor Stephen Shaw as mild-mannered and upbeat.

But their encounter outside a Summerlin car wash earlier this month left the 60-year-old Weiss dead and the 36-year-old Shaw charged with second-degree murder.

"It's hard to call a guy a saint, but this guy was about as close as you can come," said Bob Soscia, a longtime friend of Weiss.

Friends of Shaw said he was protecting his family in the March 11 incident at Fabulous Freddy's car wash at Charleston Boulevard and Fort Apache Road.

They said Shaw's wife, Raquel, summoned her husband to the car wash after Weiss opened her car door, cursed her and spat on her following a traffic dispute. The couple's two daughters, ages 4 and 6, were in the vehicle.

"This is totally out of his character," friend Karen Johnson said of Stephen Shaw. "He would not purposely hurt anyone. He was just protecting his family."

However, witness Robert Mirisch said Stephen Shaw shoved Weiss in the back as he walked away.

Stephen Shaw yelled, "Next time pick on somebody your own size," before shoving Weiss in the back with both hands, Mirisch said.

Weiss fell forward and hit his head on a metal rack holding propane tanks, fracturing his skull.

Blood began streaming from his nose and mouth. He died two days later.

Police say Shaw walked away after Weiss hit his head and someone else summoned medical assistance. Shaw did not appear to show any interest in Weiss' injuries, police say.

"It was really something that could have been totally avoided," Mirisch said. "It was just bad tempers out of control."

Reached at his office Wednesday, Shaw said his lawyer advised him not to comment. "I truly wish I could, but I cannot," he said.

To people who knew Weiss and Shaw, the incident came as a surprise.

Friend Jose Guzman said Weiss, 60, was a peacemaker.

Guzman recalled catching a man siphoning gasoline outside their office during the gasoline shortage in the 1970s.

Guzman was mad, but Weiss asked the man why he was stealing gasoline. The man explained he had missed his assigned gasoline day and didn't have enough to get home.

Weiss told him he could take gasoline from his car, Guzman said.

"I know the guy didn't intend to kill him, but he should pay dearly for taking a life," Guzman said of the March 11 incident.

Weiss' friends also said he would have avoided any confrontation because of his history of chronic neck and back pain. Weiss had several surgeries for the pain, and two days before the incident he had flown to Los Angeles to get an epidural for the pain.

Despite his back troubles, Weiss was an avid hiker who trekked trails across the United States and the world. He spent most of his life in Southern California before retiring to Las Vegas several years ago.

Weiss' friends questioned why Raquel Shaw inflamed the situation by calling her husband. If she was really scared she should have called the police, they said.

"In this whole thing, there's something really, really, really wrong," Soscia said. "I wasn't there, but he never used profanity. He never got mad."

Friend Corey Wachs said Stephen Shaw was distraught about the incident and cried when he heard news of Weiss' death. He said his friend told him he didn't push Weiss in the back.

Stephen Shaw, a chiropractor in Nevada since 1997, has no record of discipline or malpractice claims, according to the Nevada Chiropractic Physicians' Board.

"I've never heard of him doing anything like this," said Wachs, also a chiropractor. "But on the other hand I've never heard of anyone attacking his family like that."

Shaw faces charges of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. His case is scheduled for a June 7 preliminary hearing in Las Vegas Justice Court.

"This is something that has destroyed ... two families," Shaw friend Karen Johnson said. "It's just a sad situation all the way around."