Category: Court News

A third Bullhead City resident has entered a mandatory prison plea agreement for his involvement in the abduction of two people who were later transported to a remote location where they were shot and killed. Lucas Shankles, 23, faces at least ten years in prison under terms of the deal unveiled Friday. Prosecutor Jaimye Ashley said Shankles wielded a wrench and an axe when 51-year-old Mona Carter and 22-year old Daryl Ward were threatened and interrogated in the bedroom of a Bullhead City home in January, 2018. She said Ward was stripped naked and had his genitals super glued while…

A more lenient plea agreement is offered for one of three alleged Body Armor Bandits after the judge handling the case rejected a deal for a co-defendant because it capped prison time at 28 years. Following his June 6 nix of the plea deal for Francis Allison, 59, attorneys offered Judge Billy Sipe another plea proposal Wednesday mandating a 15-year prison sentence for co-defendant Preston Milks, 26, Kingman. Prosecutor Rod Albright contends that Milks was the least culpable of the trio who allegedly targeted businesses and residences in the Kingman area and beyond during an armed robbery spree last year….

A Mohave County Superior Court jury has convicted a Golden Valley man in the shooting death of a Kingman woman. The panel deliberated a little more than five hours Thursday before convicting Gerald Richardson, 57, of manslaughter. There was no dispute that Richardson killed 31-year-old Jessica Orozco on October 27, 2018 but his attorney said he was acting in self defense and that the shooting was justified. Public Defender Robin Puchek said Richardson had a right to protect his property and his person when he fired at what he presumed to be a home intruder. Orozco was delivering a child…

A Lake Havasu City man charged in the death of his own baby appeared at a Monday status hearing at the Mohave County Courthouse in Kingman. While the proceeding was largely uneventful, Judge Billy Sipe made it clear that he expects attorneys to be ready for trial on November 5. Deputy county attorney Kellen Marlow appeared on behalf of Megan McCoy, the prosecutor who will try Andrew Lamorie, 23, and Brittany Rodriquez, 26, at the same time. Both are charged with first degree murder in the death of their daughter, Gabriella Lamorie. Marlow told Judge Sipe setting up interviews is…

Her new attorney told the court Monday that she might not be ready for the August 20 trial of the purported ringleader of alleged massage parlor prostitution operations in Bullhead City and Lake Havasu. Scottsdale attorney Jospehine Hallam appeared with Amanda Yamauchi, 47, before Judge Billy Sipe at a status hearing. Hallam takes over for defense attorney Brad Rideout who was allowed to withdraw from the case on April 22 when he informed Judge Sipe that he had a “breakdown in communications” with Yamauchi. Hallam told the Court that she has read about half of the voluminous discovery material and…

A local judge has rejected the plea agreement proposed for one of three men charged in an armed robbery spree of Kingman area businesses. Judge Billy Sipe said last Thursday that the deal was improperly structured for him to impose the 21-28 year punishment it required in the case against Francis Allison, 59. Judge Sipe also said the agreement was too lenient anyway and that he believes each of the three co-defendants probably deserve a life prison sentence. Allison originally faced 56 felony charges in ten cases. Seven of them, and 51 charges, were to be dismissed in the proposed…