Marcus Shaw Palo Verde High School junior and five others accused of firebombings

The last of six juvenile arson suspects arrested in a case that involves throwing firebombs at Faith Lutheran Junior/Senior High School formally denied the charges Tuesday and was released by a judge into the custody of his mother.

Marcus Shaw, a Palo Verde High School junior who played varsity football, was taken into custody Friday and confined at the Clark County Juvenile Detention Center. Shaw is the only one among those charged who did not confess during interviews with law enforcement officials, according to prosecutors.

The five other Palo Verde students identified in a joint investigation by the Clark County Fire Department and the Las Vegas field office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives wrote and signed confessions that defense attorneys are attempting to suppress. Those individuals were arrested the day before Thanksgiving.

In a hearing Tuesday, Juvenile Court Judge William Voy also decided to allow news cameras into the courtroom during proceedings for the arson suspects.

Defense attorneys have voiced a series of objections to video coverage, saying the publicity is prejudicial to their clients.

Voy restricted cameras from showing the faces of the juveniles, but told attorneys that Nevada statute allows public access to juvenile court proceedings.

"Even though the faces of these young men are out in the public domain because of yearbook pictures," which were published in the Review-Journal, Voy said.

"No picture of them in this courtroom is to be used," he said. "You can blank out the faces, or various other things can be done."

Voy said he doesn't like the fact that photos of the suspects have been included in the news coverage of the case.

"I don't think it serves any legitimate public purpose, but it is what it is," Voy said.

Those arrested are a close-knit group of friends, most of whom are varsity football players. J.D. Buonantony, Rashan Lawrence, Ryan Patterson and Travis Skochenko all sat out a championship semifinal game, because they were in lock-up on the day of the game. In their absence, Palo Verde lost 35-0 to Reno's Galena High School. Robert Funk, a junior, also was arrested by arson investigators.

Attorney Joe Sciscento, who represents Buonantony, said he expected Voy's decision that allows news cameras into the courtroom. That doesn't mean he's happy with it.

Juvenile cases are sealed and don't follow a child into adulthood; but Sciscento said the same is not true of news coverage, which is easily accessible to the public.

"Juveniles should be tried as juveniles," Sciscento said.

Defense attorneys also asked Voy for copies of a store security video obtained by ATF agents during their investigation.

Sciscento said the video is said to show Patterson buying a drink at a store. Remnants of drink bottles were found at the scene of the arsons, which involved Molotov cocktails set off at Faith Lutheran and at Summerlin's Trails Park.

"We were told Monday that they had lost it," Sciscento said. "Somehow the copy got erased while it was in the possession of ATF."

Prosecutor Michael O'Callaghan told Voy that the ATF does not have the video but that the minimart may still have the original.

"If the store didn't keep it until now, we're out of luck," O'Callaghan said.

At previous hearings, prosecutors said materials for making the Molotov cocktails were purchased on Patterson's credit card, which helped investigators identify the suspects.

Damage to the school and park was minimal, but only because those who assembled the firebombs left out a key component, O'Callaghan said Monday.

Voy will conduct the next hearing on the arson case on Dec. 21.