News

Man pleads guilty to killing friend in August

By DAVID KIHARALAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

March 24, 2009 - 8:24 am

The 22-year-old man accused of shooting and killing his friend during a fight outside a party pleaded guilty this morning to second-degree murder and attempted murder charges.

Eric Sandoval told District Judge Michelle Leavitt that he killed his friend, 19-year-old Nester Lee, in late August outside a house on Spring Arts Avenue, near Alexander Road and Durango Drive.

Sandoval could be sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 10 years or 10 to 25 years in prison for the slaying. He could face an additional 2 to 20 years in prison for the attempted murder charge.

Maricela Lee, Nester Lee's mother, said she was satisfied with Sandoval's plea agreement.

"He accepted responsibility and will pay for what he did to my son," she said.

Sandoval is scheduled to be sentenced on May 19.

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

Timbisha Shoshone tribal members join a march ending at the visitor center to celebrate the 25t ...

Tribal members in Death Valley celebrate landmark law’s 25th anniversary

By Alan Halaly / RJ

January 30, 2026 - 8:08 pm

The Timbisha Shoshone tribe celebrated the anniversary of a landmark act of Congress that returned 7,800 acres of its land in the national park.

CC 2024-07911 JOHN “MOUNTAIN TOWER” DOE Joh NAMUS 135976 FOUND ON 11/18/2024

‘Missing in Nevada Day’ seeks to name undentified bodies found over the years

By Bryan Horwath / RJ

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Dream of owning a flying car? This California company is already selling them

Caroline Petrow-Cohen, Los Angeles Times

January 30, 2026 - 1:08 pm

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This con man’s striking Death Valley castle is closer than ever to a reopening date

By Alan Halaly / RJ

January 30, 2026 - 12:22 pm

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Catherine O’Hara, ‘Schitt’s Creek,’ ‘Home Alone,’ star dies at 71

The Associated Press

January 30, 2026 - 10:38 am

Catherine O’Hara, the Emmy-winning actor known for comedic roles across the decades — from Kevin’s beleaguered mom in “Home Alone” to the iconic Moira Rose in “Schitt’s Creek” — died Friday at 71.

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Towns once run by Warren Jeffs’ polygamous sect emerge from court supervision transformed

By Jacques Billeaud The Associated Press

January 30, 2026 - 9:56 am

These days, Colorado City, Arizona, and neighboring Hildale, Utah, look much like any other town in this remote and picturesque area near Zion National Park

FILE - Documents that were included in the U.S. Department of Justice release of the Jeffrey Ep ...

Justice Department releases massive trove from its Jeffrey Epstein files

By Eric Tucker, Michael R. Sisak and Alanna Durkin Richer The Associated Press

January 30, 2026 - 3:11 pm

The files, posted to the department’s website, include some of the several million pages of records that officials said were withheld from an initial release of documents in December.

A photo of Alex Pretti is displayed during a vigil for Alex Pretti by nurses and their supporte ...

DOJ opens federal civil rights probe into the death of Alex Pretti, deputy AG says

By Michael Biesecker and Rebecca Santana The Associated Press

January 30, 2026 - 8:50 am

The development followed confirmation by the Department of Homeland Security earlier in the day that the FBI would now lead the probe into Pretti’s death.

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Trump names former Federal Reserve official Warsh as the next Fed chair

By Christopher Rugaber The Associated Press

January 30, 2026 - 7:57 am

The 55-year-old is currently a fellow at the right-leaning Hoover Institution and a lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

FILE - A sign is displayed outside the Internal Revenue Service building May 4, 2021, in Washin ...

Trump sues IRS and Treasury for $10B over leaked tax info

By Fatima Hussein The Associated Press

January 30, 2026 - 7:47 am

The suit, filed in a Florida federal court Thursday, includes the president’s sons Eric Trump and, Donald Trump Jr. and the Trump organization as plaintiffs.