Monday, July 6, 2015 | 5:20 p.m.
James Stapleton
A Las Vegas judge who viewed video of a man firing a shotgun into a pickup truck decided a defendant should stand trial on felony murder and shooting charges in his neighbor's death in northwest Las Vegas.
Deputy public defense attorney Nancy Lemcke said Monday that her client, James Stapleton, intends to plead not guilty when he's arraigned Wednesday in Clark County District Court in the May 7 slaying of Giancarlo John Banova.
Stapleton may argue self-defense.
Prosecutor John Giordani concedes the 60-year-old Banova fired first with a handgun, wounding the 46-year-old Stapleton in the chest and arm during the shootout in the 5800 block of Westport Circle, near Gowan Road and Jones Boulevard.
Giordani says home security video shows Stapleton firing four shotgun blasts into the pickup.
Police say Stapleton also sent text messages to his ex-girlfriend about the shooting.
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy