Trial opens for man accused in Wetlands Park killing, police shootout

In the span of 26 hours, Robert Sean Williams, 29, broke into an east Las Vegas valley home, used a gun from the burglary to shoot and kill a man in the Wetlands Park, then broke into an apartment where he engaged police in a lengthy standoff, firing upwards of 20 shots toward officers and striking a squad car, prosecutors said Wednesday during opening statements of his trial.

Chester Cullen, a 32-year-old homeless man, was found dead of multiple gunshot wounds in the park April 1, 2014, surrounded by shell casings and remnants of what appeared to be a burglary. A man walking his dog in the park heard gunshots, noticed a man riding away through the desert on a red BMX bicycle, spotted the body and called 911. It wasn't long before authorities linked Williams to both crimes.

He faces several charges, including murder with use of a deadly weapon, burglary while in possession of a firearm, resisting a public officer with a firearm, along with multiple counts of assault with a deadly weapon and discharging a firearm at or into a structure or vehicle.

Prior to the killing, Williams stole a pistol, a 250-count box of ammunition and two 10-round pistol magazines, police said. He also took several electronics, including tablet computers and a PlayStation, police said.

After discovering the burglary, the homeowner drove around the neighborhood looking for the burglar, and asked Cullen if he had seen anything suspicious, according to police. A neighbor told police he had seen a man riding a red bicycle away from the home.

In the early evening a day after Cullen was slain, Williams had forced his way inside an apartment in the 400 block of East Twain Avenue, where a woman was babysitting two children, ages 11 and 9, said prosecutor Pamela Weckerly. The trio escaped, and Williams boarded himself up inside, as the woman called police.

Officers arrived, and heard gunshots as soon as they reached the steps of the two-story complex. They surrounded the apartment, hiding behind palm trees and brick walls, as Williams unloaded a 9mm Glock pistol, Weckerly said.

After more than four hours, a Metro negotiator persuaded Williams to step out of the apartment, and he was taken into custody.

A few days later, detectives interviewed Williams at the Clark County Detention Center.

When they asked about the second burglary and his arrest, Williams said he had gone to see an ex-girlfriend, and on the way to her apartment, people tried to "run him over" and snipers were shooting at him.

Williams said his girlfriend's aunt was at the apartment, and he went inside, stepped into a closet, ate some cookies and fell asleep.

He told detectives he awoke to the sound of an explosion.

Williams denied involvement in the first burglary and "out of the blue, he says, 'So let's talk about this murder,'" Detective Robert Rogers said in court documents. But Williams also denied shooting Cullen.

Defense attorney Lizzie Hatcher told jurors that no one would testify to seeing Williams in the Wetlands Park.

"You can't convict Mr. Williams because there are implications," she said.

Contact David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Find him on Twitter: @randompoker