Attorneys: Vegas Shooting Wasn't Road Rage

Lawyers for Erich Nowsch, 19, say it was likely self-defense
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 23, 2015 2:51 PM CST
Attorneys: Vegas Shooting Wasn't Road Rage
Robert Meyers, center, the widower of Tammy Meyers, attends a hearing for his wife's accused killer Erich Nowsch Jr. in court Monday, Feb. 23, 2015, in Las Vegas.   (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)

Lawyers of the accused say it wasn't road rage, but nor do they offer an alternate theory. Appearing in court today with their client, 19-year-old Erich Nowsch—who allegedly gunned down a suburban mom in Las Vegas on Feb. 12—lawyers said they plan to look over video evidence and police reports before mounting a defense. According to police, Nowsch told friends he thought an assailant was after him and that he "got those kids." And he reportedly said someone had threatened his mom and her child. "The facts seem to point to self-defense in this situation," Nowsch attorney Conrad Claus tells ABC News.

A district attorney at the hearing called the killing of Tammy Meyers, 44, a "senseless, stupid act of murder." Robert Meyers, her husband, appeared in court and left quietly, but told reporters he would be there for all future court proceedings; a preliminary hearing was set for March 10. Journalists asked him how it was seeing the defendant in court, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. "How was it like for you?" he answered. "You’re not going to get the reaction you want." See how Nowsch knew Tammy Meyers, or just how complex this case is. (More hearing stories.)

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