32-year-old sentenced to life in 2006 slaying

A jury Wednesday spared the life of a 32-year-old man convicted of killing another man during a drug-fueled 2006 episode but sentenced him to spend the rest of his life behind bars.

The jury sentenced Corey Pearce, who faced a potential death sentence, to spend life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The jury convicted Pearce last week of murdering 42-year-old Michael McClain in a Las Vegas condominium.

Pearce, who didn't speak during the trial, was quiet as the court clerk read the jury's sentence Wednesday.

As officers led him from the courtroom, he was overheard telling his attorney, "I'm fine."

McClain's mother, LeAnna, said she was happy with the outcome. McClain's family had attended every day of the trial, which opened March 16.

"We feel sorry for his (Pearce's) family and wish them well," she said.

Authorities accused Pearce of torturing McClain over several days inside the condominium, near Sahara Avenue and Boulder Highway.

Two other defendants in the case, Joey Salas and Cassandra Thomas, were convicted last year of the slaying and are serving prison sentences.

Authorities said the trio killed McClain because they believed he had hurt a woman.

The case gained notoriety because Thomas had written about the slaying in her diary, which was later read by police in Florida.

In reaching its decision, the jury ruled that McClain wasn't tortured, which would have been a factor in imposing the death penalty for Pearce.

It also found that there were several mitigating circumstances why Pearce shouldn't be sentenced to die, including that he was abused when he was younger and had a very unstable childhood.

During the penalty phase of the trial this week, Pearce's mother and sister testified that the defendant had been sexually abused as a child.

They also said he had been in and out of various state institutions and had run-ins with the law.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Pam Weckerly told the jury Tuesday that Pearce injected McClain with novocaine to kill him.

When that didn't work, Pearce hammered a pencil into the base of McClain's skull.

McClain finally died when Pearce pounded a screwdriver into his skull, Weckerly said.

Special Public Defender David Schieck said Tuesday that Pearce wasn't trying to torture McClain, but only wanted to kill him.

Schieck described Pearce's actions as clumsy attempts to kill the victim.

"We just hope it (the sentence) brings closure to the McClain family," Weckerly said after Pearce was sentenced.

Contact reporter David Kihara at dkihara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039.