In-law suspected foul play

When William Peters learned from his nieces in April 2006 that their father was missing he suspected the worst.

"I knew in the pit of my heart that something was wrong," Peters told a Clark County jury Friday.

Peters knew his brother-in-law, Larry Thomas, and his sister, Stephanie Thomas, were having marital problems. Peters also suspected his sister was having an affair with a man named Shawn Pritchett.

And when Peters asked his sister to file a missing person's report for Larry Thomas, she declined.

So Peters called Henderson police , who began investigating.

Larry Thomas' body was found a month later by hikers south of the California-Nevada border near Mountain Pass, authorities said.

After a two-year investigation Henderson homicide detectives arrested Pritchett and Stephanie Thomas, who were charged with murder.

On Friday, Pritchett's trial got under way with opening statements from prosecutors and testimony from Peters and others.

Pritchett, 40, is charged with one count each of murder with use of a deadly weapon, first-degree kidnapping with use of a deadly weapon and robbery with use of a deadly weapon. If convicted, he could face life in prison.

Stephanie Thomas, 48, in August pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. She is in the Clark County Detention Center awaiting sentencing.

In a strategic move, Pritchett's defense attorneys reserved their opening statements until prosecutors have presented their case.

Prosecutor Mark DiGiacomo told jurors there is overwhelming circumstantial evidence against Pritchett, including cell phone records from the night authorities believe Thomas was killed. Those records show calls from Pritchett's phone to Stephanie Thomas the night of April 13, 2006.

In a dramatic moment, DiGiacomo highlighted that those calls were made first in Henderson at the Thomas home, then heading west to Interstate 15, then along I-15 south toward California, and eventually near the place Larry Thomas' body was discovered.

Jurors also saw some disturbing autopsy photos of Thomas' severely decomposed body.

DiGiacomo said the 47-year-old Larry Thomas, an instructor for the College of Southern Nevada in the auto technology department, had a depressed skull fracture, and that "his whole face was crushed in. His head is split in half. His ribs in his chest area were all cracked and his spine was bent."

DiGiacomo told the jury they will hear from Stephanie Thomas' sister, Jennifer McCue, who told investigators that Pritchett was responsible for Larry Thomas' death. Thanks to McCue, police learned about another significant piece of evidence -- a steering column from Larry Thomas' pickup that had gone missing along with him in 2006.

Authorities said Pritchett sold parts from the truck to friends. Investigators linked those parts to Larry Thomas' pickup via bar codes.

Pritchett also sold jewelry, including a ring, belonging to Larry Thomas to a pawn shop, DiGiacomo said.

The prosecutor told jurors they will also hear from a friend of Pritchett's who is expected to testify that the defendant tried to recruit him to help with the slaying.

While it's still unknown what his defense will be, Pritchett and Stephanie Thomas spoke publicly about their case before their arrest.

They said they believed Larry Thomas may have been a victim of retribution by former co-workers at the College of Southern Nevada, where he had been forced to resign from a management position after an audit uncovered financial mismanagement in the auto technology department. They said Larry Thomas threatened to expose his co-workers as revenge. Stephanie Thomas has also said her late husband was physically and verbally abusive.

The trial is expected to resume Monday.

Contact reporter Francis McCabe at fmccabe@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039.