April 10, 2010
Man, 29, sentenced to death in slaying of ex-basketball pro
BY FRANCIS MCCABE
THE LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
A 29-year-old man was sentenced to death Friday in the 2006 fatal shooting of a former professional basketball player as he waited at the drive-through of a Jack in the Box in Henderson.
A Clark County jury on Wednesday found Timothy "Stone" Burnside guilty of first-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon and other felonies in the death of Kenneth Hardwick.
Two days later the same jury decided Burnside should receive capital punishment for his crime.
Burnside's co-defendant, Derrick "Suave" McKnight, 31, was also found guilty of first-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon and sentenced to life without parole. Prosecutors alleged McKnight drove the getaway vehicle.
Authorities said the shooting was part of a scheme to rob Hardwick, a plan that originated at the Foundation Room night club at Mandalay Bay.
The two-week trial featured video footage of Burnside and McKnight following Hardwick from the club, to his vehicle as he left Mandalay Bay in the early morning hours of Dec. 5, 2006.
Once at the Jack in the Box, Burnside shot at Hardwick eight times and then stole a silver cigar case, authorities said. Hardwick died at the scene.
According to testimony, Hardwick was found with nearly $5,000 in cash on his person and wearing an expensive watch.
Hardwick was a local real estate broker who had played professional basketball around the world and, for a stint with the Detroit Pistons, according to family members.
Hardwick was well-known to the staffs of the Foundation Room and the Jack in the Box, as he visited both establishments often, according to court records.
Hardwick was known as a good tipper and flashy with his money, according to court records, which might have led to him being targeted by Burnside and McKnight.
Afterward, Hardwick's nephew, Jamil Hardwick, described his uncle as a good man who had a way of making people "feel special."
Jamil Hardwick said justice prevailed. "They (the defendants) don't need to be on the street. Some people are just past the point of rehabilitation."
Burnside and McKnight were also found guilty of robbery with use of a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit robbery and burglary.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/ma...basketball-pro
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