Jury convicts man in Wetlands Park slaying

A 29-year-old man was convicted Friday in a series of crimes, including a fatal shooting at the Wetlands Park.

Prosecutors said that in the span of 26 hours, Robert Sean Williams broke into an east Las Vegas valley home, used a gun from the burglary to shoot and kill 32-year-old Chester Cullen, then broke into an apartment where he engaged police in a lengthy standoff, firing upward of 20 shots toward officers and striking a squad car.

Cullen was shot seven times in the back and legs April 1, 2014, and his backpack stopped an eighth bullet, said prosecutor Hilary Heap. 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.

A Clark County jury found Williams guilty on 13 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. The same panel is also tasked with deciding his penalty on the murder charge, for which he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Jurors are expected to resume those deliberations Monday.

Prior to the killing, Williams stole a pistol, a 250-count box of ammunition and two 10-round pistol magazines, 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 barricaded himself 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 bullets from 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.

Defense attorney Lizzie Hatcher had argued that prosecutors did not tie Williams to the burglary or prove that he committed the slaying.

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