Man guilty in ’86 killing faces trial in sex assault

William Merritt made headlines in the 1980s when he was convicted in the notorious "show and tell" murder case. He's in the news again, this time for sexual assault and kidnapping charges.

Las Vegas police arrested Merritt on March 5 after his girlfriend accused him of sexually assaulting her at his house in Las Vegas. He was booked into the county jail on charges of sexual assault, kidnapping, coercion and illegally possessing a firearm.

Merritt, 39, appeared in District Court on Wednesday and pleaded not guilty to the charges. Dressed in a navy blue prison uniform and speaking in a low voice, Merritt said he understood the charges against him and wanted a speedy trial. He is set to go to trial June 16.

According to Las Vegas police, Merritt and his girlfriend were drinking alcohol outside his house on Jones Boulevard near Vegas Drive on March 4 when he began playfully punching her. She told police he began hitting her harder.

They got into a full-blown fight, and he dragged her into his house, the police report states. Once inside, Merritt put a knife to her throat, threatened her life and sexually assaulted her, the report states. She told police Merritt hit her 20 to 30 times.

When interviewed by police, Merritt conceded that he got into a physical fight with his girlfriend but said the sex was consensual.

Merritt was one of three people convicted in the 1986 slaying of 21-year-old James Cotton Kelly.

Authorities said Kelly was lured into the desert by 15-year-old Sandy Shaw, then was robbed of $1,400 and shot several times in the face.

Shaw took school friends to view Kelly's body after the killing, earning the case the name "show and tell."

Merritt pleaded guilty to accessory to murder in the Kelly slaying and testified against Shaw and a third defendant, Troy Kell.

Kell was sentenced to life in prison without the chance for parole. While serving his sentence in a Utah prison in 1994, Kell stabbed fellow inmate Lonnie Blackmon 67 times with a knife while shouting "white power."

Blackmon, who was black, died from his wounds. Kell, who is white, had become a white supremacist in prison, news reports stated.

He was given the death penalty for Blackmon's killing.

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

Merritt served 12 years in prison but was sent back several times for other crimes.

He pleaded guilty in 2000 to aggravated stalking and was given probation.

That same year, Merritt was arrested and charged with attempted murder for trying to kill Las Vegas resident David Quaranta with a hatchet, authorities said.

Merritt disputed attacking Quaranta, who was carrying a small baseball bat at the time of the fight, documents state.

The case languished in the court system, and the charge was dismissed when prosecutors couldn't find Quaranta.

Merritt eventually pleaded guilty to lesser charges of possession of a stolen vehicle and possession of a credit card without the owner's consent. He was sentenced to one to four years in prison.

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