Jeremy Strohmeyer pleaded guilty Tuesday to murder and sexual assault for killing a 7-year-old girl in a casino restroom stall, agreeing to spend the rest of his life in prison, with no possibility of parole.
Strohmeyer, 19, standing with his hands folded, his head bowed most of the time, said he kidnapped, molested and killed 7-year-old Sherrice Iverson on May 27, 1997, in what was then the Primadonna Casino in Primm.Strohmeyer could have faced the death penalty if convicted, although during jury selection, several jurors said they would be reluctant to impose it. He entered his plea the morning that opening statements in his trial were to begin.
Strohmeyer answered "Yes, your honor," to a series of questions asked by Clark County Superior Court Judge Myron Leavitt, describing the crime step-by-step.
Leavitt asked several times if Strohmeyer understood the consequences of his plea, that he would never be released from prison. The defendant said he did. Strohmeyer said he had talked his decision over with his parents and attorneys and decided to change his previous not guilty plea.
The prosecution contended Strohmeyer is a killer who hoarded pornography and admitted fantasizing about sex with young girls.
Strohmeyer's defense, on the other hand, has portrayed the former high school honor student as a troubled youth whose father is in prison and whose biological mother is in a mental hospital.
The case has drawn widespread attention by focusing on the safety of children in casinos and on the fact that Strohmeyer's friend, David Cash Jr., said he saw the crime in progress but did nothing to stop it.
Cash told investigators he entered the restroom and found Strohmeyer holding the child in a stall and muffling her screams. Cash said he told Strohmeyer to let the girl go and then left the restroom.
When the teens met up a short time later, Strohmeyer told Cash he had killed Sherrice, authorities said. The Los Angeles girl had been left in the casino arcade with her older brother while their father, LeRoy Iverson, gambled in the casino in the early-morning hours.
Three times, security guards said they found the girl alone and told her father to come get her.