The case on Ernesto Gonzalez, the suspect in the murder of Hells Angels leader Jeffrey Pettigrew, is set for a new trial following an order of the Nevada Supreme Court to reopen the case. Gonzalez and Pettigrew are members of rival biker gangs in the country.
In a previous report on Daily News, Pettigrew, also known as Jethro, was the leader of the California chapter of Hells Angels and was shot to death during a gunbattle between the two rival motorcycle gangs, Hells Angels and Vagos, inside a Nevada casino. The suspect, Gonzalez, a former leader of the Vagos Motorcycle Club in Nicaragua, was said to have shot Pettigrew from behind.
According to New York Times, the Supreme Court's ruling on Thursday overturned the conviction of Gonzalez, saying a District Court had abused its discretion by not answering a jury question about a conspiracy charge. The SC justices added that the lower court failed to split up decisions about guilt and whether Gonzalez should get a harsher penalty for gang involvement.
Gonzalez was sentenced in 2013 to life with parole after 20 years by Judge Connie Steinheimer of Washoe County District Court. He was said to have shot Pettigrew from behind yet he claimed that he was acting in self-defense and other Vagos members after Hells Angels members kicking one Vagos member in the head which almost killed him.
"They left me no choice but to act as I did in defense of my brother," he told the judge.
Prosecutors said the killing was part of an orchestrated hit on Pettigrew, stemming from a long-running feud between the rival gangs in California, according to ABC News. Washoe County special prosecutor Karl Hall added that there was a concerted attack which resulted in Gonzalez sneaking up and shooting Pettigrew in the back.
Gonzalez's lawyers in defense said that some Vagos members may have planned the attack independently without Gonzalez knowing. They also questioned the jurors regarding this conspiracy and asked that if Gonzalez is unaware of such plans from the group then will he be guilty?
Judge Steinheimer has declined to answer and cannot be reached for further comment on the issue.
