Judge won’t let man change plea to guilty in teen girl’s shooting death

By Dave Toplikar

Monday, July 18, 2011 | 1:17 p.m.

A man accused of killing a 15-year-old girl last year in a drug-related residential burglary told a Las Vegas judge today he wants to plead guilty — and says he doesn’t want to return to court nor talk to his attorneys.

However, Judge Elissa Cadish denied the request of Norman Belcher to change his plea to guilty for the murder of Alexus Postorino and the shooting of Nicholas Brabham, 34, who was critically injured.

Both shootings occurred during a home invasion Dec. 6 in the 9700 block of Villa Lorena Drive, near Grand Canyon Drive and Tropicana Avenue in the western valley.

The state is seeking the death penalty.

At the request of Belcher's court-appointed defense team, led by attorney Robert Langford, Cadish decided to set a competency hearing for 9:30 a.m. Aug. 9 for Belcher.

Belcher is being held in the Clark County Detention Center.

Belcher has been charged with burglary while in possession of a deadly weapon, two counts of robbery with the use of a deadly weapon, murder with the use of a deadly weapon, attempted murder with the use of a deadly weapon, battery with the use of a deadly weapon resulting in substantial bodily harm, and third-degree larceny.

Belcher entered a plea of not guilty in March. Since that time, he has tried to have the court appoint different attorneys to represent him.

But in June, the judge said their was no basis to dismiss the attorneys and told them to proceed toward the trial, which was set for Feb. 21, 2012.

At today's status check hearing, one of Belcher's attorneys said they had tried unsuccessfully three times to meet with Belcher. His attorney said they had spoken to him today and were ready to proceed as his counsel.

"No, I'm going to plead guilty today," Belcher interrupted, saying he was not going to speak with his attorneys about the matter.

"I'm totally competent ... I know what it means. I know all the appeals of law. I know they're going to hold a death penalty hearing, still. I want to plead guilty today," Belcher said.

The attorneys then asked to speak privately to the judge for a few minutes, while Belcher stood in the jury box with defendants in court on other cases, with his hands restrained in handcuffs at his sides.

Cadish told Belcher that once his attorneys have raised the issue of him not being competent, she needed to have an evaluation done before they could proceed any further.

Belcher told her he would refuse to speak to a psychiatrist, saying "I'm competent."

Belcher then complained that Langford and Lance Maningo weren't representing him — "you gave them to me. They're not my attorneys. I'm not dealing with them," he said.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Christopher Lalli suggested there be a status check in the case, but Belcher said "there's not going to be a status check. I'm not coming back to court."

Cadish told Belcher she couldn't accept his guilty plea as being given freely and voluntary as long as there was a question about his competency. She told him if his evaluator determined he was competent, "then you can plead guilty every day ... That's your decision to make, whether counsel agrees or not. You can plead guilty."

Belcher said they kept telling him before that he was supposed to speak to a psychiatrist, but the psychiatrist never came.

As Cadish was setting the date for his competency hearing, Belcher said "I'm not going to come back to court, so ..." Then Belcher sat down.

"Stand up!" the bailiff ordered. Belcher complied.

Cadish told Belcher that if he was determined competent at the hearing date, 9:30 a.m. Aug. 9, he would be able to come back to her courtroom for the case to continue.

At Belcher's preliminary hearing, Alexus Postorino's father, Bill Postorino, testified that the shooting followed a disagreement that he and Belcher, who were friends, were having over money.

Postorino told the court that he sold drugs out of his home because he didn't have a job. He also testified that Belcher was familiar with his home and knew that he kept drugs and money in a metal safe in the home's master bedroom.

Postorino said he had accused Belcher of breaking into his home earlier, on Dec. 1, and stealing drugs, money and other items. Postorino also said Belcher had confronted him about owing him money and that he had eventually had another man who lived at the house, Nicholas Brabham, pay back the money.

Brabham testified at the hearing in January from a hospital bed at University Medical Center.

Brabham testified that Belcher shot him twice, then Belcher came up the stairs and went into the master bedroom. Postorino testified he wasn't home at the time and was letting his daughter, Alexus, use the master bedroom while hers was being painted.

Police said when they arrived they found both Alexus Postorino and Brabham suffering from multiple gunshots. Both were taken to UMC, where the teenager died.