Teenager to be Charged as Adult in Murder Conspiracy Case

LAS VEGAS – A 15-year-old boy accused of conspiring to commit murder will be charged as an adult, a judge overseeing juvenile crimes has ruled. Landon Richards will be transferred to the Clark County Detention Center to face a charge of conspiracy to commit murder in Las Vegas Justice Court.

The charges against Richards stem from an incident on February 10 when 46-year-old Carlos Martinez was shot by two teenagers in the garage of his home on 2050 Los Feliz Street. Chief Deputy District Attorney Summer Clarke alleges that Richards planned the shooting in retaliation for someone in the home who owed him money for drugs, but his gun malfunctioned, and the other teenager, who has not been charged as an adult, shot Martinez.

During the hearing, Family Court Judge Amy Mastin declared that the offense was egregious and that Richards would be charged as an adult. “This is as serious as it gets, not just in the delinquency system but in the adult system,” she said.

Richards had previously spent 14 months on probation for other juvenile crimes, from October 2021 to December. His defense attorney, Ryan Helmick, argued that Richards’ substance abuse problem would prevent him from understanding the weight of his crimes. However, Mastin disagreed, stating that Richards had already undergone rehabilitation treatment.

Credits: Review Journal