One case begins, another ends
An attempted robbery has resulted in a stabbing outside the Orleans hotel-casino in Las Vegas this week. According to Las Vegas Police Lt. David Gordon, the attacker approached his victim outside the venue’s entrance early Monday morning. The suspect stabbed the man one time after he refused to give up his property. Authorities have not yet released the condition of the victim.
Cherry decapitated victim Myron Wesley Knight as part of a robbery scheme
Meanwhile, another casino crime case has reached its conclusion in Montana. A judge has sentenced 34-year-old Donald Ray Cherry to 65 years in prison for murdering a patron of the Montana Lil’s Casino in the city of Billings four years ago. With the help of an accomplice, Cherry decapitated victim Myron Wesley Knight as part of a robbery scheme.
In handing down his verdict, Judge Gregory Todd described the “incredible senselessness” of Cherry’s actions as “staggering”. Cherry will get credit for more than three-and-a-half years for time served. Prosecutors dropped charges of witness tampering, evidence tampering, and intimidation as part of a plea deal.
More violent crime in Vegas
As reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, police received a call regarding a stabbing outside of the Orleans casino hotel at 12:51am on Monday morning. The victim told police that a “suspect with a muscular build” approached him outside of the casino’s south entrance demanding his property.
Police Lt. David Gordon said that the suspect ran from the scene immediately following the stabbing. “After the stabbing the suspect left the casino and was last seen running toward Tropicana (Avenue),” he explained. Casino security later called for help from police and medical services.
Justice for Montana casino patron’s family
Myron Wesley Knight met Donald Ray Cherry and his accomplice Jeffery Glen Haverty on the night of October 26, 2017. Knight had won $120 gambling at Montana Lil’s Casino in Billings. He asked a casino employee to hold his money before leaving with the two men, fearing that they intended to steal it. At a transient campsite near the casino later that night, Cherry and Haverty took turns decapitating their victim.
The devil is in you and there may be no saving your soul”
Knight’s father, sister, and cousin all gave testimonies during Cherry’s sentencing on Friday night. They spoke of the victim’s kindness and desire to befriend new people. Once the judge had provided Cherry with his 65-year sentence, Knight’s cousin Madeline Grey Mountain addressed the offender directly. “The devil is in you and there may be no saving your soul,” she said. “But that will be God’s judgement to make.”
The judge criticized Cherry for his lack of remorse throughout the proceedings, and admitted that some people might find the length of the sentencing “less than appropriate”. The 34-year-old secured a shorter jail term by reaching a plea deal with prosecutors. A week before his trial began, Cherry admitted that he and Haverty had robbed Knight and caused his death.
Haverty received a 50-year prison sentence in February for his part in the murder.