Two get life sentences in 2008 slaying

A man and woman convicted of first-degree murder for a 2008 drug-related robbery plot that ended with the death of a 42-year-old Las Vegas man were sentenced Wednesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

A Clark County jury last week convicted Charles Nelson, 30, and Lashana Hayward, 35, in the robbery and slaying of Eddie Heckard after a three-week trial.

Nelson was facing a possible death sentence.

But after a three-day penalty phase, the same District Court jury that convicted Nelson, spared his life because of mitigating circumstances, including abuse he suffered as a child.

In a dramatic courtroom moment, defense attorney Christopher Oram angrily described how Nelson's mother in one instance of child abuse, stuck his head in a feces-filled toilet bowl.

Oram said Nelson's crime, while terrible, was not "the worst of the worst" and not worthy of capital punishment.

Prosecutors also had to defend the victim, Heckard, who had his own checkered past, including six felony convictions.

"He wasn't perfect," but Heckard was a father, a brother and a son, prosecutor Josh Tomsheck said.

Nelson had 12 prior felony convictions.

Prosecutor Nell Christensen told the jury the defendants needed to answer for "who they are and what they did. You can't fix what happened, but you can do justice."

The emotionally charged trial and penalty phase could be heard from the sobbing family members of the victim and the defendants. At one point during the penalty phase, a member of the victim's family collapsed in grief and had to be helped from Judge Douglas Herndon's courtroom.

Afterwards, Heckard's mother, Lola Heckard-Buck, said she felt justice had been done.

Nelson and John Scott robbed Heckard in September 2008 at his home in the 1400 block of J Street, authorities said.

After beating him to death, the robbers set the house on fire. But the robbery was interrupted by a friend of Heckard's who knocked on the door. The robbers attacked and beat the visitor, who escaped and ran to nearby police as the house burned.

Hayward, the getaway driver in the plot, sold drugs that were supplied to her by Heckard, Las Vegas police said.

A trial date has not been set for Scott, 44, whose case was separated from the other two defendants.

Contact reporter Francis McCabe at fmccabe@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039.