Jury sentences man to death in 1985 murder

A 61-year-old Arkansas man convicted of committing murder 25 years ago was sentenced to death Monday.

A District Court jury last week convicted Charles Conner of first-degree murder and two counts of sexual assault for raping and beating to death 23-year-old Beth Lynn Jardine with a claw hammer in 1985.

The jury of 11 women and one man handed down the death sentence after about four hours of deliberation.

Afterward, Jardine's parents and one of her brothers, who attended every day of the trial and the subsequent penalty phase, said they felt justice was served.

"It is a relief," said the victim's mother, Linda Jardine. "I still feel a little staggered by the evidence we saw in the trial. I think we knew all the facts of her death. But seeing them in living color was pretty shocking.

"I'm really thankful for the jury," said the mother, whose testimony during the penalty phase brought at least four jurors and the defendant to tears.

David Jardine, the victim's father, said "justice has been done at long last."

Beth Jardine's murder had gone unsolved for 22 years before a Las Vegas cold case detective in 2007 matched DNA recovered from the crime scene with records from a national database. The DNA matched Conner, who was convicted in 1996 of raping and kidnapping a 10-year-old girl.

The murder trial, which began more than two weeks ago, featured graphic photos of Jardine's bloodied face. Crime scene photos showed blood spatters on the apartment's floor, walls and ceiling.

On June 3, 1985, Jardine, an airman second class stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, was found nude and beaten to death in her northeast Las Vegas apartment by maintenance workers. Conner hit Jardine more than 20 times in the head, according to testimony from a Clark County medical examiner.

While the death penalty verdict was read, Conner stood stoically with his attorneys. He was in tears throughout most of the penalty phase as his friends, family members and daughter asked the jury to spare his life.

During a tearful three-minute allocution earlier Monday, Conner told the jury that what he did seemed like a bad dream.

"I know you must think I am a monster. I accept that," Conner said.

Trembling, his voice cracking, the frail-looking man who has thyroid cancer apologized to the Jardine family.

"There are no words to express the remorse I have for this heinous crime I have committed. Words cannot express how deeply sorry I am for the pain I have caused you. I am not asking for forgiveness. I don't deserve it," he said.

Conner said he should have come forward years ago and taken responsibility for the crime.

"But I was a coward. I was afraid of losing my family and my friends," he said. "I do not expect to be released from prison, nor should I be. I can only hope that God can give me some peace now."

During closing arguments, Conner's defense attorneys asked the jury to consider circumstances that might explain, but not excuse, what he had done. They said Conner was physically, mentally and sexually abused as a child.

But prosecutors said Conner did not deserve mercy. Until Monday, Conner had not shown remorse, they said.

Prosecutor Pamela Weckerly described Conner as a "sexual predator and a violent person."

Weckerly said Conner's siblings were also victims of abuse, "but none of them have sexually assaulted anyone or murdered anyone."

Weckerly said Conner has "already gotten a lot of mercy from the criminal justice system."

"He got to live a lifetime" during those 22 years after Jardine's slaying, Weckerly said. "Justice demands more than his time. Time isn't good enough."

Deputy public defender Andrea Luem asked the jury to show both justice and mercy by sentencing Conner to life in prison without the possibility of parole. By choosing life over death, Luem told the jury, "you can be better than him."

Prosecutors commended jurors for their service and for what they believe is the appropriate sentence.

"It's been a long time coming," said prosecutor Joshua Tomsheck.

Defense attorneys are expected to appeal the verdict as is done in all capital cases. The appeals process in death penalty cases can take more than a decade.

Conner will be sentenced for the sexual assault convictions at a Sept. 27 hearing before Judge Elissa Cadish.

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