Las Vegas Sun

April 23, 2024

Man wants to change guilty plea in death of neighborhood mom

A Las Vegas man accused of killing a woman in a hail of gunfire in a neighborhood cul-de-sac told a judge Thursday that he wants to withdraw his guilty plea.

Erich Milton Nowsch Jr., 20, stood in shackles in a crowded courtroom as his lawyers told Clark County District Court Judge Michael Villani that they didn't know the reason for their client's change-of-heart.

The judge said he would give them time to investigate and told Nowsch there was no guarantee he will accept the change. He moved sentencing to May 10 for Nowsch and the man accused of being his getaway driver, Derrick Andrews.

They both pleaded guilty last month in the February 2015 slaying of Tammy Meyers. The plea deal avoided trial and was expected to get Nowsch a minimum of 11 to 18 years in prison on a charge of second-degree murder with a weapon.

Withdrawing the plea means Nowsch would face trial on charges that could get him life behind bars.

Andrews, 27, doesn't want to change his plea on charges of voluntary manslaughter and accessory to murder. But his expected prison term of two to 15 years is contingent on Nowsch taking the deal.

The killing initially was cast as a road rage attack and drew more attention after revelations that Nowsch knew the Meyers family and had even been to their home for dinner.

Prosecutors say a string of coincidences and misperceptions led to the shooting.

Nowsch told police he shot at Meyers' car because he thought it was following him and people in it were after him. He said he didn't mean to kill Tammy Meyers.

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