Jeremy Strohmeyer

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jeremy Strohmeyer (born 1979) is a Long Beach, California teenager who molested and murdered 7-year-old Sherrice Iverson at Primadonna Resort and Casino in Primm, Nevada, on May 25, 1997.

Contents

[edit] The Crime

On May 25, 1997, Jeremy Strohmeyer and his friend, David Cash, Jr., were tired of waiting around for David Cash, Sr., to finish playing poker. The two teens were bored. They joked around and laughed and caused mischief.

Around 4 A.M., May 25, 1997 Jeremy Strohmeyer struck up a conversation with a 7-year-old Sherrice Iverson. As the conversation ensued, they started playing. He began chasing her around the arcade for several minutes and then finally followed her into a women's restroom.

While in the bathroom, the two began throwing wet paper wads at one another. It was around this time that 7-year-old Sherrice Iverson threw a "Wet Floor" sign at him. This angered Jeremy. He picked her up, placed his hand over her mouth, and carried her into the handicapped stall. He would go on to molest and ultimately strangle her. David, during that time, had also entered the restroom and saw Jeremy molesting Sherrice. He claimed that he attempted to distract Jeremy by tapping on his head, but that Jeremy didn't pay any attention to him. Video surveillance showed Cash exiting the restroom after about two or three minutes, and finally Jeremy exited after about twenty minutes.

Both left the hotel and headed for California. Jeremy Strohmeyer was later captured at his home in California after leaving a suicide note on his mother's kitchen table. He was taken into custody by the Long Beach police department, who first took him to the hospital. The police extracted a confession from him while he was still very ill from having his stomach pumped. Jeremy later stated that he was just telling them what he thought they wanted to hear. After his release from the hospital, he was then extradited back to Nevada to face charges of kidnapping, molestation, and first degree murder.

[edit] Plea Bargain

Jeremy Strohmeyer's defense attorney was Leslie Abramson. Leslie Abramson represented many famous names in Hollywood including the Menendez brothers who murdered their wealthy parents for money. Jeremy Strohmeyer claimed he was high on alcohol and drugs at the time and did not remember committing the crimes. It was even suggested that perhaps David Cash had, in fact, been the one to murder Sherrice, as Jeremy claimed to have no recollection of his actions and David was the one to actually tell him what he had seen him doing in the bathroom that night. David Cash would go on to face being labelled "the bad Samaritan," and also a campaign of students who attempted to get him kicked out of UC Berkeley for not stopping the crime.

Jeremy Strohmeyer was originally facing a possible death sentence for the murder (had the case gone to trial), but hours before his trial was to start, a plea bargain was entered by his attorney, Leslie Abramson. He was therefore sentenced to four life terms, to be served consecutively without possibility of parole.

[edit] Conclusion

Jeremy Strohmeyer has since appealed his conviction in 2000, 2001 & 2003. He has appealed his case to the Nevada Supreme Court and U.S. Supreme Court. All appeals were subsequently denied. As a result of this murder, hotels in Nevada increased security in their arcades, often having a security guard even in small arcades.

[edit] References