Driver receives 48-year sentence in LV shootings
A 21-year-old Las Vegas man who was at the wheel when his passengers fired deadly shots at two teens in January 2006 was sentenced Thursday to a minimum of 48 years in prison.
A jury convicted Larry Bailey of conspiracy to commit robbery, attempted robbery with a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit murder, murder by use of a deadly weapon and attempted murder with a deadly weapon.
Bailey's co-defendants, Debaron Sanders and Gregory Boyd, both of whom have been accused of being the gunmen, have yet to go to trial.
Prosecutors said the trio plotted to rob Darnell Ford and Mariano Lomeli of a weapon and a gold necklace. They spotted Ford and Lomeli walking down the street and Bailey pulled up behind them.
One of the passengers stepped out of the vehicle and asked about a party, according to court documents.
Ford and Lomeli suspected trouble and began to run. Ford was shot in the back and killed. Lomeli was shot in the back but survived.
"My son was running for his life and was shot in the back," Edward Ford, the victim's father, said Thursday. "I'm a hard man, but this broke me down like a baby."
Defense attorney Patrick McDonald said he will appeal Bailey's verdict to the Nevada Supreme Court.
McDonald said Bailey only knew of a plan to rob the teens of their necklace and had no knowledge that shots would be fired. McDonald said that under state law, those co-conspirators and those who aid and abet in a crime cannot be held liable for the acts of co-defendants.
"I don't believe he should have been charged with murder, attempted murder and certainly not conspiracy to commit murder," McDonald said.
Ford's family and friends filled a row in District Judge Michael Villani's courtroom, sobbing and glaring at Bailey, who apologized during the hearing.
"My son has been away from me for two years because of selfish people who took his life," said Ford's mother, Winifred Williams. "If I could, I would turn back the clock and take the bullets for him."
Contact reporter Adrienne Packer at apacker@reviewjournal.com or 702-384-8710.
