109°F
weather icon Clear

Man arrested in 2006 death

A Henderson man was arrested this week in connection with the death of a man whose body was found in California by hikers in May of 2006, Henderson police said.

Shawn Pritchett, 38, was arrested by Henderson police on Monday in connection with the death of Lawrence Thomas, 47, of Henderson, whose body was found in the Mojave National Preserve west of Interstate 15 near Baker, Calif., on May 14, 2006.

Henderson police have been investigating Thomas' death since April 2006, when his brother-in-law called police to say he had not heard from Thomas.

Thomas' wife, Stephanie, was contacted by police and said that he had left home after an argument on April 13, 2006.

Days prior to Thomas' body being discovered in the desert, detectives interviewed Pritchett, who had moved into Thomas' Henderson home, and was said to be a business partner with Thomas' wife.

Police said detectives found evidence that contradicted Pritchett's statements about his whereabouts on the evening of April 13. They found evidence linking Pritchett to the crime and putting him in California the night Thomas disappeared, Henderson police said.

"It was a very long and exhaustive investigation," Keith Paul, a spokesman for Henderson police, said.

Pritchett was being held in Henderson jail without bail on murder charges.

He has a court appearance scheduled for today in Justice Court.

MOST READ
Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
THE LATEST
Military parade barrels through DC with tanks, troops and 21-gun salute

At times, President Trump saluted as troops marched past the reviewing stand. But attendance appeared to fall far short of early predictions that as many as 200,000 people would attend the festival and parade.

War rages on in Gaza after Israel opens a new front with Iran

The 20-month war with Hamas has raged on even as Israel has opened a new front with heavy strikes on Iran that sparked retaliatory drone and missile attacks.

Israel and Iran trade strikes for a third day as hundreds reported dead

Israel unleashed airstrikes across Iran for a third day and threatened even greater force as some Iranian missiles evaded Israeli air defenses to strike buildings in the heart of the country.

Iran launches new retaliatory wave at Israel as conflict widens

Iran fired hundreds of ballistic missiles against Israel following an unprecedented direct attack on its nuclear facilities, ramping up a conflict between sworn enemies that threatens to engulf the Middle East and disrupt global oil supplies.

MORE STORIES