Trial date set for suspect in Strip shooting that killed 3
November 25, 2013 - 12:11 pm
Ammar Harris, a self-proclaimed pimp charged in a Strip shooting that left three people dead, will stand trial Sept 8.
Harris could face the death penalty if convicted.
The delay occurred after District Judge Kathleen Delaney appointed defense lawyers Robert Langford and Thomas Ericsson to represent Harris, after the Special Public Defender’s office withdrew from the case citing an “irreconcilable conflict” with the defendant.
Harris had wanted to stand trial Dec. 2.
Harris, 27, is charged in the fatal shooting of reputed pimp Kenneth “Clutch” Cherry Jr. The two were driving separate vehicles on the Strip early in the morning of Feb. 21 when Cherry was shot, causing him to crash his car into a taxi.
The cab then burst into flames, killing the driver, Michael Boldon, and his passenger, Sandra Sutton-Wasmund of Maple Valley, Wash.
Harris faces nearly a dozen charges stemming from the shooting, including three counts of first-degree murder, two counts of discharging a firearm into a vehicle, five counts of discharging a firearm out of a vehicle and attempted murder.
In September, Harris was found guilty of raping and robbing a woman in June 2010. Prosecutors plan to use the convictions as aggravating factors when seeking the death penalty against Harris.
A sentencing hearing is set for Dec. 4 in that case.
Contact reporter Francis McCabe at fmccabe@review journal.com or 702-380-1039.