Pahrump man who killed stepmother gets life in prison

The local man arrested and charged in the death of his stepmother roughly two years ago, was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 10 years.

Robert James Marygold, 61, of Pahrump was arrested back in 2015 for the murder of stepmother Alma Marygold in the home they both shared.

Nye County Sheriff’s Office detectives said Marygold lived with his stepmother’s body inside the residence for 11 days.

During the sentencing hearing last week, Deputy District Attorney Michael Vietta Kabell read aloud a letter from the victim’s daughter, where he argued in support of the court imposing the maximum sentence in this case, while running all of the counts consecutively.

Marygold was charged with open murder, battery with use of a deadly weapon, attempt to conceal evidence, grand larceny, possession of a debit card without owner’s consent and fraudulent use of a debit card.

Defense Attorney Harry Gensler said his client, who has spent more than 652 days behind bars, has since accepted his fate.

“My client has been fine all the way through,” Gensler said. “He just wanted to get all this behind him. He knew he screwed up and he was in for the long haul. He did not want to proceed any further. He just wanted it all resolved.”

Additionally, the court outlined the details of the crime and expressed concern for Marygold’s mental competency.

“I initially had concerns about my client’s mental capacity,” Gensler said. “I had concerns throughout, but not enough to have him evaluated. We took a long time to come to that conclusion.”

According to investigators, Marygold, after waiving his Miranda rights, admitted during an interview with detectives to shooting his stepmother twice in the chest on July 13, 2015 with a .45-caliber handgun and concealing her body within the residence.

Sheriff’s deputies responded to the residence on West Florida Street in Pahrump to check on the welfare of an elderly female after her family members, who live out of state, called to report that they had no contact with her for several days.

In addition, the family noticed suspicious activity occurring on her bank account, as thousands of dollars had been withdrawn at a local casino.

The family spoke with Robert Marygold about the woman’s whereabouts, and he said she had gone camping, according to investigators.

Upon arrival at the residence, deputies noticed an extremely foul odor emanating from the home and immediately went inside.

Deputies then found a body wrapped in trash bags and a blanket in a bedroom closet. After unwrapping the body, it was determined that the description of Alma Marygold matched the deceased person found in the home.

Detectives responded and began a detailed investigation into the suspicious circumstances found at the scene, according to police.

After the discovery of the body, sheriff’s deputies obtained a search warrant to search the home for any evidence that could possibly reveal the cause of death.

During the course of that investigation, Marygold arrived home, where deputies identified him as being the deceased woman’s stepson.

He was also found to be in possession of her debit card, where deputies discovered he was making several withdrawals from the account at a Pahrump casino.

He eventually confessed to the crime, according to deputies.

Due to the advanced decomposition of the body, it was difficult for investigators to determine and locate any evidence of gunshot wounds, but several corroborating details were confirmed through evidence at the scene.

Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @pvtimes