Prosecutor, UNLV star remembered in service

CARSON CITY -- Athletic standout and prosecutor Cheryl Kosewicz was remembered Wednesday as someone who cared deeply about the victims of crime she came to know while working in the Clark County District Attorney's office.

Kosewicz died Friday in Sparks, apparently taking her own life. She was 35.

Kosewicz was a member of the Lady Rebels basketball team in the 1990s while attending the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She had been working for the district attorney's office in Washoe County, where she relocated recently from Southern Nevada.

"It really is a tragedy," said Clark County District Attorney David Roger. "We are all saddened by the loss of Cheryl Kosewicz. She was a tenacious prosecutor and a great friend to all of us."

Kosewicz worked in the office for about six years, serving first on the general litigation team before becoming a special victims unit prosecutor in the juvenile division. She then performed the same job in the adult division of the office.

"She cared deeply for the victims of these crimes," Roger said. "She worked hard to obtain justice for them."

But Kosewicz' commitment to her job was only part of her life, Roger said.

"She was also a tremendous athlete," he said.

Roger said he watched Kosewicz box at the International Police Olympics, where she defeated the defending champion in the finals.

She was a member of the Lady Rebels Big West Conference title team that won an NCAA bid in 1991.

Roger, who attended services for Kosewicz in Reno on Tuesday, said the service was packed with friends and family members, any of whom would have stepped in to help if they had known of her difficulties.

According to the Australian news organization NEWS.com.au, Kosewicz posted a note on the MySpace Web site citing her participation in the CBS reality show "Pirate Master" in the events leading up to her death. The series, which has been canceled by CBS, followed 16 participants in a quest for gold on the Caribbean island nation of Dominica. The show was hosted by Australian actor Cameron Daddo.

Kosewicz, who was the fourth contestant eliminated from the series, said on MySpace that her participation in the show had caused problems in her relationship with boyfriend Ryan O'Neil, according to the news organization. O'Neil took his own life about two months ago.

Kosewicz was born Nov. 11, 1971, to Ted M. and Elizabeth Ann Kosewicz in Brewster, Wash. She graduated as valedictorian from Lake Roosevelt High School in Coulee Dam, Wash., in 1990.

Kosewicz graduated from UNLV in 1994. In 2000, she earned her law degree from Lewis and Clark School of Law and then went to work for the Clark County District Attorney's office before relocating to Northern Nevada.

Kosewicz is survived by her parents, her brother, Mike, and her grandmother Wenona Ried.

Interment will be at 11:30 a.m. Aug. 11 at Palm Memorial Park, 800 S. Boulder Highway.