Las Vegas NowDA Preparing Formal Charges in Officer's Murder

DA Preparing Formal Charges in Officer's Murder

The five teens accused of murdering off-duty Metro Officer Trevor Nettleton have already made their initial appearances in court for the crime. But the District Attorney says now it's a process of figuring out what charges they'll face and the possible punishments to come.

According to District Attorney David Roger, the courts have already concluded there is probable cause for the teens accused in the crime to be charged. “The next step is for us to review all the of the reports and make a decision on which charges to file in the case,” he said.

Following formal charges, Roger says the group will officially be arraigned. As for penalties they could face, Roger says his office has a committee that reviews cases that could result in capital punishment charges. “They could face the be the death penalty, but we won't make that decision until after the preliminary hearing or grand jury presentment,” he said.

The DA says for now his office is tasked with finding out strengths and weaknesses of the case that will help them determine charges. Roger won’t speculate if any of the suspects will be offered plea deals. “It's to early to speculate if we would negotiate with anybody for their testimony,” he said.

While many grieve and prepare to bury Officer Nettleton, Roger says the next steps in the case are critical. “It's always hard when we lose a police officer, but at the end of the day we have to maintain our focus,” he said. “Focus on the evidence in the case presented and make sure we have a just result.”

Roger says he hopes his office will have formal charges for all five of the suspects in the very near future.