Nevada Divorce Bill Prompted by Reno Murder Case & Shooting of Judge
Earlier this week, Nevada lawmakers reviewed a bill which would write into law the rules guiding judges during divorce proceedings; a measure prompted in large part by a case in which a man is charged with killing his wife and trying to murder the judge who presided over his divorce.
Specifically, Darren Mack was reportedly upset with how Family Court Judge Chuck Weller was handling his divorce and that his wife, Charla, refused to agree that the couple accumulated no community property during the marriage, according to a story in the Elko Daily Free Press. Weller ordered Mack to pay his wife $10,000 per month in temporary alimony payments in May 2005, and court papers say that Mack later filed bankruptcy to avoid paying. Court filings showed that Mack was worth $9.4 billion and earned more than $500,000 per year. Mack allegedly later killed his wife and shot Weller.
After hearing of the tragic circumstances which resulted from this case, state assemblyman John Carpenter wondered whether all of this could have been avoided if such guidelines were spelled out in Nevada divorce law. While judges currently decide alimony payments based on several state Supreme Court decisions, Carpenter said it’s unclear whether judges always follow the outlined points from those precedent-setting cases.
In other news, the Nevada Assembly Judiciary Committee also heard testimony on a bill which would eliminate parental rights for anyone convicted of soliciting murder. This Nevada divorce bill was prompted by a case in which Florela McCorkle was found guilty of trying to have her husband, Police Lieutenant Rob, killed in the midst of their divorce. While currently in prison, Florela Henderson still retains some custody rights over the couple’s daughter, according to the story.
We’ll keep you updated on the latest developments with these Nevada divorce bills.
