Convicted murderer dies in Northern Nevada prison

A man convicted of first-degree murder in 1981 died in a Northern Nevada prison on Tuesday, the state Department of Corrections said.

Larry Hansen, 59, was committed from Washoe County on May 22, 1981, for first-degree murder, kidnapping and robbery. Hansen, who was serving a life sentence, was found unresponsive in his cell at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center in Carson City on Tuesday, the Department of Corrections said.

Hansen was in his cell alone when he was found, the department said. He was pronounced dead around 4 p.m.

He was charged in the murder of 40-year-old Claudia Rose, who was strangled before her body was found near Washoe Lake on Oct. 9, 1980, according to a Las Vegas Review-Journal article at the time. Hansen was 22 at the time and was a former casino janitor at the Eldorado Hotel.

The Carson City Sheriff’s Office coroner will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.