State high court denies appeal of defendant in wife’s shooting death

CARSON CITY -- The state Supreme Court has unanimously upheld the first-degree murder conviction of Reno pawn shop owner Darren Mack.

Justices on a 6-0 vote rejected the argument by Mack that his conviction should be dropped because he had not been told by the judge or his lawyers of lesser sentences he might have received when he entered an Alford plea. An Alford plea is when a defendant does not plead guilty, but admits evidence exists that could lead to a conviction.

Mack was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 20 years for stabbing and killing his wife, Charla, in June 2006.

He then drove to downtown Reno and shot District Judge Chuck Weller, who was standing at his office window. Weller was shot by Mack with a high powered rifle from a parking garage more than 100 yards from the courthouse. He recovered. Mack was given a 40-year sentence for shooting Weller.

In the decision, justices noted that District Judge Douglas Herndon asked Mack questions to determine whether his plea was made "knowingly, intelligently and voluntarily."

"Throughout this exchange, Mack asked the judge questions and affirmatively stated that he understood the consequences of his plea," the justices said in the decision.

Mack also testified that he asked his lawyer about the consequences of a manslaughter conviction, "thereby acknowledging he was aware of other possible offenses," the Supreme Court ruled.

Justice also noted Mack was permitted to speak with his family before making his plea and given an opportunity to speak during sentencing about his plea. The court made the decision Tuesday.