Judge gives teen life sentence for killing security guard

Hursey Addison was working as an unarmed security guard, completing a crossword puzzle, when a 16-year-old boy executed him “for no reason,” a Las Vegas judge said.

“This is a unique situation. This is an execution. There is no other way to describe it,” Senior Judge David Barker said Friday during a sentencing hearing for Anthony Okelberry.

Barker sentenced Addison, who is now 19, to a maximum term of life in prison, although he will be eligible for parole in 18 years.

In December, Okelberry pleaded guilty to second-degree murder with a deadly weapon for the 75-year-old man’s killing, court records show.

On April 22, 2019, Okelberry shot the Vietnam War veteran in the head at point-blank range while he was in his vehicle, completing a crossword puzzle and patrolling an apartment complex on the 5500 block of Mountain Vista Street, north of Russell Road, prosecutor Christopher Hamner said.

Okelberry dragged Addison’s body out of the car, stole his wallet, photographed the body and sent the picture to a friend, prosecutors have said.

He later tried to use Addison’s credit card to withdraw $500 from an ATM, where he was caught on surveillance video. Police arrested Okelberry at Del Sol High School on April 25, 2019, and found a loaded 9 mm semi-automatic handgun in his waistband.

Once he was arrested, Okelberry tried to pin the killing on a homeless man, Hamner said Friday. Investigators found Okelberry’s DNA on the gun used to kill Addison, and he was in possession of some of the security guard’s belongings when he was arrested at the high school, prosecutors have said.

Hamner said Okelberry likely will be eligible for parole at age 34, but he needs to be supervised for the rest of his life if released, because “this community needs to keep its eyes on him.”

“Anthony Okelberry decided, because he wanted to find a way to get some quick money, to walk up to this unarmed man, shoot him in the head and steal his wallet and his credit cards,” the prosecutor said. “That is terrifying that a 16-year-old young man would think any of that would be appropriate.”

Okelberry, who appeared in court through a video call, promised to “do better,” as his voice cracked with emotion when addressing the judge.

“I understand that some things are unforgivable, but I hope that one day everyone can see that’s not who I really am,” he said.

Defense attorney Craig Mueller, who argued against lifetime supervision for Okelberry if he is paroled, said Okelberry has displayed “reflective and insight capabilities” he did not have as a 16-year-old.

“There is no excuse,” Mueller said. “I offer none, and I don’t have any insight other than just extraordinarily immature and poor judgment.”

Addison’s son, Wallace, told the judge that his father was a “hard-working man” who inspired him to go into the military.

“He just wanted to work hard all his life and provide for his family,” Wallace Addison said.

The son told the judge that his family wanted Okelberry to have a life sentence “hanging over his head,” because it was too soon to know if he will mature.

“We’re not wanting to forget, and we don’t want this to ever happen to any other person,” Wallace Addison said.

Okelberry’s own family was in the courtroom Friday, some crying while listening to the hearing. Wallace Addison said that while his family was “ready to forgive” Okelberry, he struggled to understand why the teenager committed the crime when he had a large support system.

“If you know what love is, why would you do this?” he said.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.