Area man serving life sentence dies in state prison
An inmate from Nye County serving a life sentence in state prison for first degree murder passed away last week, according to the Nevada Department of Corrections.
Raymond Gillen, 77, died Thursday at the Carson Tahoe Hospital in Carson City after being transported there May 20. He was hospitalized at the Regional Medical Facility at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center prior to being committed to Carson Tahoe.
Gillen was serving a life sentence for the 1992 murder of 78-year-old Patrick Coka in Rhyolite. He had been an inmate at the correctional facility since March of 1994.
Gillen waived his right to a trial by entering a guilty plea to murder at his preliminary hearing in January of 1994, and was formally sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole on March 10, 1994.
Gillen shot Coka in the eye, back and chest with a .45 caliber semi-automatic handgun, when he went to the victim’s mobile home to collect a debt.
After being interviewed for investigators from the Nye County Sheriff’s Office, Gillen became the prime suspect. Gillen fled the area at that time, only to be tracked down in Arkansas after a tip came in about his whereabouts.
When he was interrogated at the time of his capture, Gillen admitted to the killing and waived extradition to Nevada.
The cause of Gillen’s death is unknown at this time and will be determined after an autopsy is conducted.
