Las Vegas man who killed ex-wife’s lover, his 2nd killing, gets life without parole – Image for illustrative purposes only (Image credits: Unsplash)
Las Vegas – A local man convicted in the brutal 2016 slaying of his ex-wife’s lover received a life sentence without the possibility of parole this week, marking his second killing. The case, which involved dismemberment and a severed hand discovered in a Henderson mailbox, concluded a decade-long legal battle after two previous trials ended without verdicts.[1] Prosecutors described the crime as stemming from a deadly love triangle, with the victim strangled before his body was cut apart and partially burned.
A Verdict After Years of Legal Wrangling
The Clark County jury delivered a guilty verdict against Anthony Newton, 46, on all counts including first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and first-degree kidnapping with a deadly weapon.[1] This marked the third trial for the Las Vegas resident, following a mistrial in November 2024 when a witness referenced his prior prison time and a hung jury in January 2025.[2] Defense attorneys Joshua Tomsheck and Thomas Ericsson argued the evidence did not conclusively tie Newton to every element of the crime.
Judge Jacqueline Bluth presided over the proceedings, where the death penalty phase was removed after the unanimous guilty findings. Newton now faces the maximum penalty of life without parole, with formal sentencing set earlier this year.[1] Co-defendants George Malaperdas, Newton’s brother-in-law, and Kelsea Wray Glass, who helped lure the victim, had already pleaded guilty and awaited their own sentencings.[3]
Christmas 2016: A Deadly Encounter
The murder unfolded on Christmas Day 2016 at an apartment where Glass had enticed Ulyses Cesar Molina, the victim, to arrive. Newton and Malaperdas ambushed Molina, tying him up before Newton stepped on his neck until he stopped breathing, prosecutors said during trial.[1] Molina had been involved romantically with Newton’s then-wife, Jami Malaperdas, during a period when Newton served time in prison the previous summer.[3]…