LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A motion to continue the trial in the case of slain 2-year-old Amari Nicholson has been granted, allowing charges to move forward against Amari’s accused killer Terrell Rhodes.
The case was set to go to trial on May 9 but a judge ruled Tuesday that a status check will be conducted in 90 days on Aug. 2 at 9:30 a.m. A new trial date could be set at that time.
Rhodes, 28, is accused of killing his girlfriend’s son on May 5, 2021, after being left to watch him.
According to an arrest report, Rhodes admitted to police he killed the boy inside a unit at the Emerald Suites. He said he hit Amari three or four times with his fist before the toddler’s face turned blue and he stopped breathing, and Rhodes attempted CPR.
Prosecutors said Rhodes had admitted to killing Amari after the child had urinated on himself.
Amari’s body was found near Paradise Road and Twain Avenue on May 12, 2021, after Rhodes told investigators he buried the boy near a brick wall between the Siegel Suites and McDonald’s in the area. He initially said that a family member had come to pick Amari up.
Rhodes faces a first-degree murder charge related to the boy’s death, in addition to two counts of attempted murder, four counts of assault on a police officer with a deadly weapon, and four counts of resisting a police officer with the use of a firearm after he took a gun from two Metro detectives and tried to kill them while being interviewed May 11, 2021.
Rhodes entered a “not guilty” plea in a court appearance June 2, 2021, and prosecutors have decided that they will not seek the death penalty.
Terrell remains in the Clark County Detention Center without bail.
