Las Vegas news briefs

A fire late Wednesday night in northwest Las Vegas that forced a mother and her two teenage children to flee may have been arson.

Las Vegas Fire Department spokesman Tim Szymanski said Josie, an arson dog assigned to the Clark County Fire Department, found evidence pointing to arson.

The fire, reported shortly before 11 p.m., caused about $65,000 worth of damage to the residence at 1032 Bird Springs Drive, near Buffalo Drive and Washington Avenue.

There were no injuries.

Szymanski said the fire is believed to have been started in a bedroom by someone throwing something through a window.

Pedestrian killed near Fremont

A pedestrian was killed Wednesday night after being struck by a car that knocked her into the path of a van. The car fled the scene.

Metro Police investigators said the unidentified woman was crossing Charleston Boulevard east of Fremont Street outside of a crosswalk at about 9:20 p.m.

Police said a white car, in the left of three eastbound lanes, struck the pedestrian and knocked her into the path of a 1987 Ford van.

The van was driven by June Rust, 61, of Las Vegas. Rust and two passengers were not injured.

The pedestrian was taken to University Medical Center, where she died of her injuries.

Death penalty won't be sought

The death penalty won't be a possibility for three people -- including the husband of an heir to the wealthy du Pont family -- charged in an alleged murder-for-hire plot that left a woman dead in a downtown motel that shows adult videos.

The decision was contained in federal court documents filed Wednesday.

But Christopher Moseley, Diana Hironaga and Ricardo Murillo still face the possibility of life prison terms if they are convicted at a trial scheduled for October in U.S. District Judge Philip Pro's courtroom.

Moseley is the husband of Lisa Dean Moseley, a direct heir of the founder of Du Pont Co.

The defendants are charged in the Aug. 2 slaying of Patricia Margello at the Del Mar Motel, 1411 Las Vegas Boulevard South. Margello was the girlfriend of Dean MacGuigan, Lisa Dean Moseley's son.

A fourth defendant, Joseph Balignasa, faces murder charges in state court and is set to stand trial May 3 in District Judge John McGroarty's courtroom.

Bennett case delayed until Feb. 7

The state court murder trial of U.S. Marine Arthur Bennett on charges he committed a fiery murder to fake his own death and avoid military court-martial proceedings has been postponed until Feb. 7.

District Judge Donald Mosley said Wednesday that is the first available date on his court calendar for the case that could result in the death penalty for Bennett if he is convicted.

The trial had originally been set for June 7. The postponement was not unexpected because Bennett's court-martial is scheduled for May 24 on charges of desertion, obstruction of justice and a variety of sexual misconduct counts involving young girls and a former wife.

Bennett is charged in state court with the murder of the still unidentified man whose badly charred remains were found inside Bennett's destroyed travel trailer at a Lake Mead campsite on Feb. 3, 1994.

For three years, the body was believed to have been that of Bennett and the death was ruled a suicide.

Stupak trial date set

The candidate who wins the open Department 4 Las Vegas Municipal Court judge post has something to look forward to during the early weeks on the job -- a celebrity battery case.

High-profile gambler, businessman and former mayoral candidate Bob Stupak has a 9 a.m. June 29 court date to answer misdemeanor battery charges stemming from allegations made by a former bodyguard.

The trial date was set Wednesday after negotiations between the city attorney's office and Stupak's attorneys did not produce a plea bargain. Stupak had sought a deal in which he would perform community service and make a donation to charity for dropping the charges.

Stupak's former bodyguard, Ralph Owens, filed a complaint with Metro Police last year alleging that Stupak, former chairman of the Stratosphere hotel-casino, battered him in the lounge of Stupak's Thunderbird hotel.

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