Murder suspect requests new attorney in Pahrump case

The Pahrump man facing charges of domestic violence, child abuse with substantial bodily harm resulting in death, and open murder, has requested a new defense attorney.

During a judicial notice hearing this month, the defendant, Cole Engelson, made the claim of ineffective counsel regarding his attorney, Brent Percival, before Judge Robert Lane in Nye County’s Fifth District Court, according to the official case summary.

Aside from Engelson’s demand for a new attorney, he has also filed a lawsuit against Percival, the court document stated.

Lane, meanwhile, denied Engelson’s request and ruled that Percival will remain Engelson’s attorney.

An additional element regarding the case pertained to retaining an expert witness on Engelson’s behalf.

Percival informed Lane that his client has just one defense, and an expert witness is necessary, but he has not been able to retain one.

“This case involves the death of a 3-year-old, and it is very difficult to find someone that wants to testify in a pediatric murder case that will end a week before Christmas,” Percival told Lane.

Prior to the hearing’s conclusion, Lane denied Engelson’s request for new counsel and set a trial date for early December.

It was just after 7 p.m. on Saturday, July 15, 2017, when Nye County Sheriff’s Office dispatchers received a 911 call regarding a child, identified as Yessenia Camp, 3, who had stopped breathing at a residence along the 5000 block of East Manse Road in Pahrump.

“Emergency personnel from Pahrump Valley Fire-Rescue Service were dispatched and upon arrival found a woman performing CPR on her 3-year-old child,” a sheriff’s office statement noted. “In addition to being unresponsive and not breathing, the child suffered from multiple bruises and other injuries. Emergency personnel provided life-saving measures while transporting the child to Desert View Hospital where emergency department staff tried desperately to save the child’s life. The child was subsequently pronounced deceased as a result of the severe injuries, according to the sheriff’s office statement.”

Deputies and detectives responded to the residence and began a detailed investigation into the circumstances surrounding the child’s grave condition, the statement said.

Engelson was later taken into custody and booked into the Nye County Detention Center, where he still remains held on no bail.

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