Man says he wants death sentence

"I don't want to just waste away for the next 25 years in prison, just doddering around," Terry Jess Dennis told Washoe District Judge Janet Berry on Friday. "I'd just as soon get it over with."

Berry found Dennis competent to plead guilty to the March murder of Ilona Strumanis, 51, an Eastern bloc immigrant. Dennis, who has a history of mental illness, entered the plea Friday.

Berry set a July 19 sentencing hearing by a three-judge panel. She'll be on the panel, which will decide whether to impose a death sentence or prison time for Dennis.

Prosecutors said they'll seek the death penalty.

Dennis, 52, is accused of using a belt to strangle the woman he met several days before. Dennis told police she made fun of him when he was unable to perform sexually.

archive