Man loses appeal of death sentence imposed for Vegas murder

The high court ruled Monday against Frederick Paine, who argued he wasn't aware that the prospect of a death sentence was far greater with a panel of judges than it would have been with a jury.

Paine pleaded guilty to fatally shooting cabdriver Kenneth Marcum during a robbery in Las Vegas in 1990. Because he pleaded guilty, Paine's sentence was handed down by a panel of judges instead of a jury.

That death sentence was later overturned, and Paine then tried to withdraw his guilty plea. The courts refused to allow that, and he was sentenced to death a second time by another three-judge panel.

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