Jury acquits LV man who fired at officer

A Clark County courtroom erupted with whoops and tears of joy Wednesday night when a jury returned with an acquittal in the trial of Dennis Jaeger, who faced an attempted murder charge for shooting at a police officer behind his house in April 1990.

Jaeger, 46, referred questions to his attorney after hearing the verdict at 10:30 p.m. "I’ve got nothing left," he said as he hugged supporters.

Defense attorney Thomas Pitaro had plenty to say, however, promising to send a copy of the trial transcript to the FBI and state attorney general for a possible investigation of police actions.

"This case is an absolute outrage," Pitaro said. "For three years the Metropolitan Police Department has persecuted this man, knowing full well that evidence established that he was not guilty."

The attorney, who has called the police investigation of the shooting a "sham," has accused officers of lying under oath to protect a colleague.

"The only thing that saved Dennis Jaeger is that he had the money to hire a defense team," Pitaro said.

Deputy District Attorney Arthur Noxon quietly left the courtroom without commenting on the verdict.

The jury deliberated less than three hours before returning its verdict in the seven-day trial.

"It’s time to end this insanity of three years and four months of this man being accused of being a murderer," Pitaro shouted as he pointed at Jaeger during his closing argument Wednesday afternoon.

Jaeger’s wife, Brenda, sat on a bench behind the defense table and began weeping when Pitaro told jurors that prosecutors wanted them to believe the defendant was a "murderer who failed." Jaeger glanced back at his wife when he heard her reaction.

Las Vegas police responded to a call from the Jaeger residence at 1672 Gabriel Drive on April 15, 1990, when Brenda Jaeger reported her husband had locked her out of the house following an argument.

Officer Janet Beck testified earlier in the trial that another officer knocked several times on the front door and announced his presence through a broken window before Beck went to the back yard to knock on another door.

Jaeger testified that he had been sleeping and woke up only after he heard dogs barking. He said he shot at Beck in self-defense, believing she was an intruder.

The officer shot Jaeger twice and seriously wounded him during the confrontation.

"The defendant deliberately and specifically intended to kill Janet Beck," Noxon said, noting that two shots struck a cinder block planter the officer was hiding behind.

The defendant maintains that Beck shot first, but Beck testified that Jaeger fired two rounds before she discharged her weapon. Both parties have filed civil lawsuits over the incident.

Pitaro told jurors in District Judge John McGroarty’s courtroom the location of a blood stain proves that Beck wounded Jaeger before he could fire a second shot.

The attorney said Beck panicked when the underwear-clad Jaeger opened his back door with a gun, and her colleagues rigged the investigation to protect her.

"The evidence shows beyond a reasonable doubt that Dennis Jaeger is not a murderer who failed. The evidence shows beyond a reasonable doubt that he is not guilty," Pitaro said, walking behind Jaeger and placing his hands on the defendant’s shoulders. "The nightmare that he has lived for three years and four months, we ask you to wake it up."