Trial set for man charged in fatal beating at Reno casino

Sat, Aug 1, 2020 (11:45 a.m.)

RENO, Nev. — A Nevada man accused of killing a woman at hotel and casino in Reno last year is scheduled for trial in March 2021.

Tevin Johnson, 23, pleaded not guilty to murder during a virtual arraignment hearing at the Second Judicial District Court earlier this week, the Reno Gazette Journal reported. He was also charged with sexual assault and battery by strangulation.

The murder charge stemmed from the death of Amber Morris, 37, whose body was found lying near the door of her hotel room at Circus Circus Reno on July 19, 2019, authorities said. An autopsy revealed she was strangled and stomped on, causing bleeding in her brain.

An affidavit said Morris and her sister were at the hotel while Morris' husband was finishing work. The two women met Johnson and another man while walking around downtown Reno and invited them to come to the casino.

Throughout the night, the group separated and met up again several times at the hotel, the affidavit said.

"There was a conflict, and that happens sometimes," said Johnson's defense attorney Orrin Johnson, adding he needed the extra time to review the case. His recent appointment is why the trial date was continued to March 29, 2021.

If Tevin Johnson is convicted on all charges, he could face life in prison without the possibility of parole.

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