Conan Pope, who killed his father, loses pardon request
CARSON CITY — The state Pardons Board voted 6-2 today against granting a pardon to Conan Pope, the Las Vegas resident who as a 15-year-old killed his abusive father.
Board members made their decision after Bernie Curtis, the state Parole and Probation chief, said Pope, now 25, was caught using heroin last year.
He had told the board he needed the pardon so he could join the military.
Pope declined comment after the decision.
He served six years in prison on voluntary manslaughter charges for killing his father, Frank Pope, in the family home on Jan. 6, 2000.
His lawyer, Kristina Wildeveld, said Pope had difficulty finding jobs because employers invariably “Google this name” and find out about the killing. He can find only “odd jobs,” she said.
She said she believes Pope used heroin only once when he was “self medicating” after a car accident during which he broke his back.
He had lost his job as an apprentice electrician and had no insurance so he turned to self-medication, according to Wildeveld. Pope was not arrested on heroin charges, she said.
Wildeveld told the board that Pope just found out Tuesday that his girlfriend is pregnant with his child.
Only Justices Mark Gibbons and Michael Cherry voted to pardon Pope. Gov. Jim Gibbons, Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto and four other Supreme Court justices voted against the pardon.
Contact Capital Bureau Chief Ed Vogel at evogel@reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3901.
