Man, 44, sentenced to life without parole for homeless man’s 1998 slaying
A man with a history of mental illness was sentenced Monday to spend the rest of his life behind bars for killing a homeless man in North Las Vegas in 1998.
District Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez sentenced 44-year-old Robert Neal Davis to life without the possibility of parole for killing Billy Ray Owens, 41.
Authorities said Davis confessed to the killing while serving time in a prison in New York. Davis told North Las Vegas police in 2003 that he shot Owens near a Salvation Army facility near Main Street and Owens Avenue, according to court records.
Davis told police he targeted the homeless man because Owens wouldn't have family or others seeking revenge.
In a psychological evaluation entered into court records, one doctor described Davis as a paranoid schizophrenic who has a long history of mental illness. When he was young, Davis had few friends and as a teenager would cover the windows of his bedroom with black paper to block out any sunlight, the report said.It added that Davis also would speak to himself and wouldn't eat regularly.
Davis tried to kill himself multiple times and told doctors that he committed the murder because he wanted to receive the death penalty, the report said.
