The district attorney in Las Vegas says the death penalty is a possibility for a man accused of what the prosecutor called a random rape and stabbing death of a woman collecting cans for recycling in downtown Las Vegas.
District Attorney Steve Wolfson spoke outside court after 24-year-old Jerry Howard made an initial appearance with his appointed lawyer in the slaying of 54-year-old Kathy Shines.
A judge set a preliminary hearing April 17.
Deputy Public Defender Scott Coffee calls the case a tragedy for everyone involved.
Police say Shines managed to climb out of a trash bin and tried to crawl for help before bleeding to death in an alley behind a bar. Her body was found early last Saturday.
Howard faces murder, sex assault, kidnapping and robbery charges.
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