The Nevada Supreme Court has denied a petition asking for a man accused of strangling his ex-wife in front of her 6-year-old daughter to withdraw his guilty plea.
The Las Vegas Sun reports that Andre Hardiman says he was coerced by his lawyer to plead guilty to first-degree murder. He asked for a hearing to show he did not willingly enter his plea.
The court ruled Wednesday that District Court records show Hardiman was not coerced.
Hardiman was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for strangling Sabrina King in 2008 while her daughter was in the room. Court records show he later drove King's body to a construction face, where he cut her face with an ax, chopped off her hands and set fire to the body.
