Defendant pleads not guilty in LV slayings

The man accused of killing his wife and an alleged hitman in May pleaded not guilty in court Wednesday.

Thomas Randolph, 53, pleaded not guilty to killing his 57-year-old wife, Sharon Causse Randolph, and not guilty to killing Michael James Miller, the 38-year-old man police said Randolph hired to kill his wife.

Randolph appeared in court briefly to make his plea. Randolph sounded exasperated when the judge asked whether he could read, write and understand the English language.

"Of course," said Randolph, who has a four-year college degree.

Randolph is scheduled to go to trial at the end of March.

His attorney, Gabriel Grasso, said the case is still in its early stages, and he's moving forward to defend Randolph.

"He's very concerned (about the charges)," Grasso said.

Authorities said Randolph killed his wife to receive more than $400,000 in insurance money. Randolph told police that his wife was killed during a home invasion and that he shot the burglar, authorities said.

The burglar turned out to be Miller, a man Randolph had befriended and who worked as a handyman at their house.

Randolph was tried and acquitted in the death of his previous wife in the 1980s in Utah. Four of his six wives have died, authorities said.

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