Man gets life sentence in sexual assault, kidnapping

William Merritt is no stranger to the legal system.

Best known as a co-defendant in the notorious “Show and Tell” slaying of the 1980s, Merritt has been in and out of trouble with the law for more than a decade.

His rap sheet includes arrests for attempted murder, drugs, property crimes and stalking. Most recently, he was tried and convicted in August of kidnapping and sexual assaulting a woman in Las Vegas, although he was found not guilty of seven counts of sexual assault.

On Friday, his past caught up with him.

District Judge Elizabeth Gonzalez sentenced Merritt to spend life in prison without the chance of parole for the 2008 sexual assault conviction. She also sentenced him to spend 10 years to life for kidnapping and gave him prison time for several smaller charges.

Gonzalez gave him a life sentence without parole because he is considered a habitual criminal.

Merritt downplayed his other criminal offenses and maintained that he was innocent of the sexual assault. In court Friday, he criticized the victim in the case and called her mentally unstable.

“I’m not innocent. I’m not guilty of this crap though,” he said.

According to a Metropolitan Police Department report, Merritt, 39, fought with the victim outside his house in March. The fight escalated and the victim claimed Merritt sexually assaulted her and struck her 20 to 30 times, the report states.

Merritt’s attorney, Gabriel Grasso, said the accusations against Merritt were made “by a woman scorned in this case.”

He said there wasn’t a shred of DNA evidence tying Merritt to a sexual assault.

“The jury got it wrong on the sexual assault and kidnapping counts,” Grasso said. County prosecutor Eric Jorgenson, however, argued that Merritt should be put away for life because he’s been convicted at least four times of various crimes.

Merritt was also given chances to straighten out when he was placed on probation for various crimes. But, Jorgenson said, Merritt kept screwing up.

“He’s had his chances yet he continues to commit crimes,” Jorgenson said. “I believe that this situation, with this man, at this point, sentencing should be to protect society. He should not be out.”

Merritt was one of three people convicted in the 1986 slaying of 21-year-old James Cotton Kelly. Kelly was lured into the desert by 15-year-old Sandy Shaw and then robbed and killed, authorities said.

Shaw later took friends to view the body, earning the case the name “Show and Tell.”

Merritt pleaded guilty to accessory to murder in Kelly’s death and served about 12 years in prison.

Shaw was sentenced to life without parole but her sentence was commuted. She was granted parole in September and was released after serving 21 years.

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