Conviction upheld in showgirl’s death
CARSON CITY -- The first-degree murder conviction of Las Vegas resident Daniel Ramet for killing his showgirl daughter and then leaving her remains in a bedroom for a month before they were discovered was upheld Thursday by the state Supreme Court.
Justices voted 3-0 to throw out Ramet's appeal that police improperly mentioned at his trial that he did not consent to a search of his home.
In the decision, justices called the testimony on Ramet's refusal to allow a search without a warrant as harmless error.
"In this case, there was overwhelming evidence of Ramet's guilt," the decision written by Justice Michael Douglas read. "Ramet confessed during trial that he strangled his daughter, stopped and checked her pulse, and then continued to strangle her. Under these circumstances, we can conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that the constitutional violation did not affect the jury's verdict."
Ramet killed his 20-year-old daughter, Amy, in April 2006 in the home they shared. She had worked as a showgirl in the Folies Bergere show. He was sentenced to life in prison.
He had kept his ex-wife and another daughter, Delsie, in the dark about the murder by sending text messages to them from Amy's cell phone.
After not hearing from her daughter, Ramet's ex-wife went to his home on May 22, 2006, and demanded to see the young woman.
When Ramet refused to let her in, Bernadette Ramet broke her daughter's bedroom window with a baseball bat and called police.
Ramet refused to let police in the home, but they and Bernadette Ramet smelled the odor of the decomposing body.
At his trial, police testified about Ramet's refusal to let them enter his home. Police would later obtain a search warrant before actually entering the home. Ramet was arrested and then confessed.
According to past court decisions, prosecutors may not introduce at trial any statements about defendants refusing to submit to warrantless searches.
But in this case, Douglas said there was "overwhelming evidence" of the murder.
Ramet told police he killed his daughter after he heard her bad-mouthing him on the phone, according to a police report.
Contact reporter Ed Vogel at evogel @reviewjournal.com or 775-687-3901.
