Former Ohio man convicted in Elko killing

ELKO, Nev. - It took an Elko County jury barely two hours to convict a former Ohio man of first-degree murder in the baseball bat beating death more than a year ago of an Elko chef.

After seven days of testimony, jurors returned guilty verdicts late Friday against Jerry Emmanuel White in two hours and 10 minutes. In addition to murder, he was convicted of robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery. He was acquitted of conspiracy to commit murder.

District Judge Jack Ames will decide Jan. 10 whether White faces life with the possibility of parole or life without.

White, 20, of Warren, Ohio, was charged in the Oct. 8, 1999, killing of Ramon Navarro along with Michael Woomer, 21, also of Warren. Woomer is serving a life term as a result of his guilty plea to first-degree murder.

The day before Navarro's death, the two were stopped on Interstate 80 by a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper for fictitious license plates. Trooper Donald Neff testified he noticed the silver-gray aluminum baseball bat in the back seat of the car and also remembered the black baseball batting glove White was wearing.

The two continued to Elko and, after a futile attempt to sell the unregistered car, went to the bar where Navarro worked. Witnesses said the victim was flashing a large amount of money.

The three men went to Navarro's home and continued drinking until the murder occurred.

Both then went to Battle Mountain west of Elko where White abandoned Woomer, who turned to the Lander County sheriff's office for help after again finding himself short of cash. He was taken into custody without incident.

White surrendered to California officials two days later.