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Thread: Gregory Lee Hover - Nevada Death Row

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    Gregory Lee Hover - Nevada Death Row



    Roberta and Julio Romero



    Prisma Contreras




    The Clark County District Attorney’s office announced this week it will pursue the death penalty if guilty verdicts are delivered in three high-profile cases. They include Harold Montage, a Las Vegas man charged with killing a baby with an ax and critically wounding the child’s mother and his sister-in-law. Prosecutors also cited the case against Gregory Hover and Richard Freeman. The men are accused of committing a series of robberies and killing two people, including a 21-year-old woman who worked at the Hooters Hotel and Casino. The third case involves the beating death of a 68-year-old man in October. Will Sitton, 46, faces charges including murder, robbery and burglary.

    http://www.fox5vegas.com/news/23231519/detail.html

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    July 15, 2010

    Pair ordered to stand trial in second Vegas slaying

    Two men already facing a death penalty trial in Nevada in the slaying of a Hooters casino waitress have been ordered to trial in the home invasion slaying of a 64-year-old Las Vegas man and wounding of his wife.

    A Las Vegas judge decided Wednesday there was enough evidence to bind 38-year-old Gregory Lee Hover and 19-year-old Richard Freeman over for trial in state court on felony murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, sexual assault, robbery and burglary charges.

    Prosecutors allege Hover killed Julio Romero and shot his wife, Roberta Romero, during a January crime spree with Freeman.

    The two men are also being held at the Clark County jail in the rape and slaying of 21-year-old Prisma Ivette Contreras.

    http://www.rgj.com/article/20100715/NEWS/100715040/1321/NEWS

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    September 3, 2010

    Charges pile up for suspects in Hooters waitress’ murder

    Prosecutors say a Las Vegas court documents process server and his youthful accomplice, who were both linked to murders in two separate shooting deaths in January, have also been connected to a string of armed robberies at grocery store casinos.

    Grand jury indictments were recently issued for Gregory Lee Hover, 38, and Richard Freeman, 19, in connection with three robberies that occurred in January.

    A grand jury also indicted Hover in a burglary at a home where he served court documents.

    Those are the latest indictments against the two men, who also both face the death penalty in the murder of 21-year-old Prisma Contreras of Las Vegas, a waitress at the Mad Onion restaurant at Hooters, whose body was found Jan. 15 in the desert.

    The robberies occurred within a few days of the first murder the men were booked into jail for — a Jan. 25 violent home invasion that left Julio Romero dead and his wife, Roberta Romero, with a gunshot wound to the face.

    Both Hover and Freeman were arrested on multiple charges in the Romeros' case.

    Police announced in February that they believed Hover and Freeman committed a series of crimes across the valley that dated back to at least late 2009. At the time police said the victims of the two men included those who had broken down on the side of the road and were looking for assistance for rides, and people who might have gone to ATM machines.

    At the time, they also said they were checking to see if the pair were connected to several business robberies.

    The latest grand jury indictments of the pair say Hover robbed three grocery store casino areas at gunpoint while Freeman acted as lookout. The armed robberies took place on Jan. 18 at a Smith's grocery store, 3160 N. Rainbow; on Jan. 22 at Albertsons, 8410 Farm Road, and on Jan. 28 at Vons, 8540 W. Desert Inn Road, according to the indictments.

    For those robberies, Hover and Freeman each have been charged with three counts of conspiracy to commit robbery, one count of robbery with the use of a deadly weapon, two counts of burglary while in possession of a firearm and two counts of robbery with the use of a deadly weapon on a victim 60 years of age or older.

    Their initial arraignments on the armed robbery charges will be at 9:30 a.m. Sept. 13 before District Judge Stephanie Miley.

    A grand jury also recently indicted Hover on several felony charges for allegedly breaking into a home on Jan. 1 in the 5200 block of South Rainbow Boulevard, taking a computer and jewelry and then pawning the jewelry at the Gold & Silver Pawn Store, 713 S. Las Vegas Blvd. Hover is to be arraigned for those charges Tuesday before Judge Jackie Glass.

    The arrest report said police officers investigating the burglary decided there was a possibility that Hover, a legal process server for Junes Legal Service, was going back the the same residences where he served paperwork, and was breaking into them.

    Police said they did a record check of the pawn stores and found Hover had an extensive amount of property he had been pawning at multiple stores in the area.

    Hover and Freeman are being held in the Clark County Detention Center awaiting a death penalty trial in Contreras' murder and alleged sexual assault, set to begin March 7, 2011.

    In that case, Boulder City Police officers found Contreras’ body Jan. 15 inside her blue 2006 Jeep Liberty, which had been burned. Contreras was reported missing by her family Jan. 14 after she failed to return home from her shift.

    Hover and Freeman were indicted by a Clark County grand jury in April for that case. Their arraignment was delayed several times after Hover in April attempted suicide while he was being held at the Clark County Detention Center and spent several weeks at University Medical Center recovering.

    In that case Hover was arrested Feb. 6 in connection with an attack in the early morning hours of Jan. 25 that left Julio Romero dead and his wife, Roberta Romero, seriously wounded.

    Hover is accused of returning to the Romeros' home, near the intersection of Jones Boulevard and Russell Road, in the early morning hours of Jan. 25, a few hours after he had been there in an attempt to find another man who Hover said owed $10,000 in a civil matter.

    Police said Hover shot Julio Romero, then robbed Roberta Romero at gunpoint before ushering her into a bedroom closet while he raided dresser drawers and took valuables.

    While Roberta was in the closet, Hover opened the door and shot her in the face, police said. She called 911 after Hover left her home.

    Police have said the investigation into the Romeros' home invasion provided information that pointed to Hover and Freeman as being involved in Contreras' murder.

    In that case, Roberta Romero described a small, white four-door car as being parked in front of her home when Hover first served them papers. Police linked that car to a 1996 white Nissan Sentra registered to Hover's wife.

    They also had released a video surveillance image showing someone getting out of a white Sentra and approaching Contreras' Jeep.

    Police have been investigating whether Hover might have been tied to other unsolved cases or be linked to other homicides.

    In a separate case, Hover is also scheduled to have a trial on Jan. 4 for the alleged battery of a prisoner. In that case he is accused of slicing another inmate across his back in April with a pair of scissors while cutting the man’s hair at the jail.

    http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2010/sep/03/charges-piling-las-vegas-pair-linked-two-murders/

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    Prosecutors seeking death penalty for Hover in 2010 murders case

    Gregory Hover’s life now rests in the hands of 12 jurors.

    During closing arguments Thursday, prosecutors argued that Hover should be sentenced to death for killing two people during a crime spree in 2010.

    But defense attorney Christopher Oram argued that life in prison would be the worst punishment for Hover, who attempted suicide twice after his arrest.

    “He’ll live a life that will be horrendous,” Oram said.

    Earlier Thursday, Hover read a statement to the jury.

    Because the defendant chose to make an unsworn statement, he was limited in what he could say. Prosecutors also were precluded from cross-examining him.

    District Judge Carolyn Ellsworth told Hover his statement could contain only expressions of remorse, pleas for leniency and a discussion of his hopes and plans for the future.

    Hover, 41, stood at the defense table as he spoke.

    “I have started to write this statement many, many times,” he began, “because honestly, no amount of words can even begin to convey the extent of my regret, of my remorse, for everything I’ve done, the pain I’ve caused. I am truly sorry.”

    Hover kidnapped, raped and stabbed Prisma Contreras, 21, in what one prosecutor described as “an egregious act of sexual sadism.” The woman’s body was found in a burned-out car south of Boulder City on Jan. 15, 2010.

    About 10 days later, Hover broke into the home of Julio and Roberta Romero and shot them both. Julio Romero, 64, died, but his wife survived.

    In March 2010, after his arrest, Hover used a pair of scissors to slash the back of his cellmate, Marcos Ramirez, at the Clark County Detention Center. Hover had been given the scissors to cut Ramirez’s hair.

    Prosecutors said evidence showed that Hover does not like Hispanics.

    “Let’s just say what he is,” Chief Deputy District Attorney David Stanton said. “He’s a racist. He treats Hispanics like they’re not even human beings.”

    Hover told jurors they had heard testimony about his difficult childhood and about the death of his infant son.

    “You’ve also heard that even though I’m not perfect, I was a decent person, OK husband and an exceptional, loving father, married to my childhood sweetheart for over 20 years,” said the defendant, who is now divorced. “Until after my arrest, I was kind, caring, helped some of the poor, fed the homeless.”

    Hover, whose two adult children testified on his behalf, also said he had served as his son’s Cub Scouts master for several years and regularly coached his children’s sports teams. The defendant, a former process server, said he rarely drank alcohol and stayed away from drugs.

    “So why, when offered that first hit of meth, I took it, I honestly don’t know,” Hover said. “I wished I had said no.”

    The defendant said the drug altered something in his mind. He recalled the feelings he experienced after his arrest, as the drugs began to leave his system.

    “I couldn’t live with the shame, the pain, the guilt,” he said.

    Hover recounted his suicide attempts, and said he begged God to let him die.

    “He said no,” Hover told the jury.

    The defendant said he is now ready to accept responsibility for his crimes.

    “I stand here today not making excuses, not begging for leniency, or mercy,” he said.

    As tears dripped off his face, Hover told the jury that he is often visited in his dreams by a sad, 4-year-old girl who asks him why he took her mommy away. Contreras was married and had a 4-year-old daughter at the time of her death.

    Prosecutors told the jury there is no evidence that Hover was under the influence of drugs when he committed his crimes.

    Another defendant in the case, 22-year-old Richard Freeman Jr., escaped the possibility of a death sentence by pleading guilty last month to two counts of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon.

    Chief Deputy District Attorney Marc DiGiacomo said Freeman acted as Hover’s co-conspirator and driver but did not participate in the acts of violence.

    Jurors deliberated about two hours Thursday afternoon without reaching a decision. They are expected to resume their discussions today .

    http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/cr...0-murders-case
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    Man sentenced to death in Las Vegas killings

    By Jennifer Kastler
    KTNV

    Las Vegas, NV -- Gregory Hover was sentenced to death on Friday for the murder of a young mother and a 64-year-old man in 2010.

    Hover was convicted of kidnapping 21-year-old Prisma Contreras as she was leaving work at the Hooters Hotel & Casino in Jan. of 2010.

    Police said he assaulted and stabbed the woman. Her body was found the next day in a Jeep near Boulder City.

    10 days later, police said he shot Julio and Roberta Romero during a robbery at their Las Vegas home. Julio, 64, died of his injuries. Roberta was critically injured.

    Contreras' family was in the courtroom Friday for the sentencing. "We're happy with the verdict. We feel that justice has been served," said cousin Alberto Carrillo.

    "I don't think people like that deserve to live," said sister Denise Espitia.

    Espitia told Action News that celebrating Mother's Day without Prisma is the hardest holiday to celebrate, "We all come and celebrate Mother's Day with our mothers. She left a daughter behind. We take her to the cemetery to visit Prisma. It's difficult."

    Hover will still have to undergo another formal sentencing by a judge. Action News will bring you those details as soon as they are released.

    http://www.ktnv.com/news/local/209792231.html

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    Las Vegas Man Sentenced to Death for 2 Murders

    A Las Vegas man was sentenced to death for the robbery and murder of a Las Vegas man and the kidnapping, robbery and murder of a Las Vegas woman.

    The judge sentenced Greg Hover Monday. Besides the death penalty, Hover was sentenced to dozens of years each for 31 counts, including kidnapping, robbery, sexual assault and arson. Several of the counts had extra years added because the victims were 60 years or older.

    Hover was convicted of killing Julio Romero and shooting Romero's wife. Hover had gone to the couple's home to serve court papers. He later returned to shoot and rob them.

    He was also convicted in the kidnapping, robbery, rape and murder of 21-year-old Prisma Contreras. Contreras was kidnapped as she left her job as a waitress at Hooters Hotel and Casino just off the Las Vegas Strip.

    Hover and his accomplice, Richard Freeman, held Contreras for several hours, torturing her before finally strangling and stabbing her to death.

    Her body was found in her Jeep in a desert area near U.S. 95 at the Nelson Landing road south of Boulder City in January 2010.

    Freeman pleaded guilty in April. He will be sentenced in September.

    http://www.8newsnow.com/story/232582...-for-2-murders
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    Getaway driver gets life sentence for two murders

    A judge gave Richard Freeman Jr. the “glimmer of hope” he asked for Wednesday when she sentenced him to life in prison with the possibility of parole for his role in two 2010 murders.

    But District Judge Carolyn Ellsworth said she expects the defendant to be “a very old man” when, if ever, he is released from prison.

    Freeman, 22, must serve at least 56 years before officials may consider granting him parole. He already has spent more than three years behind bars since his arrest in the case.

    Denise Espitia, sister of victim Prisma Contreras, had no doubt about Freeman’s fate after sitting through the sentencing hearing.

    “I know he’s never getting out, no matter what,” she said outside the courtroom.

    Freeman was 18 when he went on a crime spree with his older accomplice, Gregory Hover, in January 2010.

    In May, a jury decided that Hover, 41, should be executed for his role in the two murders.

    Espitia said her family will live with the pain forever, but “I know that at least justice was served in both cases.”

    Hover was employed as a process server when he kidnapped the woman’s 21-year-old sister from a parking lot on East Tropicana Avenue. He proceeded to rape, stab and strangle her.

    The young mother’s body was found in a burned-out car south of Boulder City on Jan. 15, 2010.

    Hover also was convicted of fatally shooting 64-year-old Julio Romero during a robbery on Jan. 25, 2010.

    Authorities said Hover, who worked for Junes Legal Service, had visited Romero’s home to serve legal papers. Early the next morning, Hover forced his way into the home, killed Romero and shot Romero’s wife, Roberta, who survived.

    By pleading guilty in April to two counts of first-degree murder with a deadly weapon, Freeman ensured that he would not join his co-defendant on death row.

    Earlier this year, Chief Deputy District Attorney Marc DiGiacomo said Freeman had acted as Hover’s co-conspirator and driver but did not participate in the acts of violence.

    On Wednesday, DiGiacomo argued that Freeman was “as guilty” as Hover and urged the judge to deny him the chance for parole.

    The prosecutor also noted that “disturbing” images of child pornography were found on Freeman’s computer.

    Standing in the courtroom Wednesday, Freeman spoke softly as he offered his apologies to the victims’ families, the court and his own family.

    “I do understand the gravity of the situation,” he said.

    He said his drug use contributed to his behavior but does not excuse it.

    Freeman asked the judge for a “glimmer of hope” that he might someday be released from prison.

    Defense attorney Kristina Wildeveld said Freeman, who was teased and bullied as a child because he was severely overweight, was barely an adult when he helped commit the crimes.

    She also said evidence suggested Freeman remained outside the Romero home while Hover was inside.

    In sentencing Freeman, Ellsworth expressed her belief that he was influenced by his older accomplice.

    The judge also said she expects Hover to die in prison before he finishes the lengthy process of appealing his death sentence.

    Ellsworth said she chose to give Freeman the hope of parole because she did not want him to receive the same punishment as Hover.

    http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/cr...ce-two-murders
    An uninformed opponent is a dangerous opponent.

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    Convictions, death sentence upheld for Las Vegas killer

    By Sean Whaley
    The Las Vegas Review-Journal

    CARSON CITY — The Nevada Supreme Court has upheld the murder convictions and death sentence of Gregory Hover, who was found guilty by a Las Vegas jury in 2013 of killing two people during a crime spree that also involved a rape and robbery.

    In a 6-1 unpublished decision, the court rejected numerous challenges brought by Hover either as being unwarranted or because any mistakes were deemed to be harmless error.

    "Hover contends that the cumulative effect of errors warrants reversal of his convictions and sentences," the court majority said in upholding the jury's verdict and sentence. "However, a defendant is not entitled to a perfect trial, merely a fair one."

    Justice Michael Cherry dissented, arguing that several of the errors at Hover's trial affected his right to a fair trial.

    During Hover's penalty hearing in Clark County District Court in May of 2013, prosecutors described Hover as a racist who took pleasure in the suffering of his Hispanic victims. Defense lawyers said Hover had endured abuse as a child in Oklahoma but lived a normal life as a husband and father in Las Vegas before turning violent.

    Hover was employed as a process server when he kidnapped 21-year-old Prisma Contreras from a parking lot on East Tropicana Avenue. He proceeded to rape, stab and strangle her.

    The young mother's body was found in a burned-out car south of Boulder City on Jan. 15, 2010.

    Hover also was convicted of fatally shooting 64-year-old Julio Romero during a robbery on Jan. 25, 2010.

    http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/la...s-vegas-killer

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    In today's orders, the United States Supreme Court declined to review Hover's petition for certiorari.

    Lower Ct: Supreme Court of Nevada
    Case Nos.: (63888)
    Decision Date: February 19, 2016

    https://www.supremecourt.gov/search....es/15-9377.htm

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