Habitual Criminal Sentenced to Life

District Attorney Announces Sentencing from 2016 Robbery and Attempted Murder Case

The Washoe County District Attorney’s Office has announced that a habitual criminal has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole following his conviction on attempted murder and robbery charges. The sentence ensures that the defendant will serve the rest of his life in prison. 

Kevin Scott Clausen, 52 from Reno was found guilty in October, 2016 on one count of Robbery With the Use of a Deadly Weapon, one count of Attempted Murder with the Use of a Deadly Weapon, and one count of Battery with the Use of a Deadly Weapon Causing Substantial Bodily Harm.  Additionally, Clausen pled no contest to a related count of Ex-felon in Possession of a Firearm.  Two co-defendants were also convicted in the case. David William Coyne, 46 (DOB 9/16/70) from Sacramento, California pled guilty to one count of Accessory to Robbery in August, 2016 and was sentenced to 5 years in prison.  Leslie Ann Ramos, 55 (DOB 7/18/61) from Reno pled guilty in July, 2016 to one count of Robbery and was sentenced to 10 years.  All three prosecutions were the result of a March 4, 2016 robbery and shooting case that occurred at the 7-Eleven located at 800 S. Wells Avenue.  On that date, the Reno Police Department responded to a report of a woman who had been shot in the head. A subsequent investigation by the Reno and Sparks Police Departments determined that Clausen had been assisted by Ramos in planning a robbery and targeting the victim, who was the store’s owner.  The investigation also determined that Coyne had prior knowledge that the robbery would occur and that he assisted Clausen after he committed the crime.  Following their arrests, this office filed formal criminal charges based on each defendant’s role in the planning and commission of the crime.

Clausen was sentenced in Washoe County District Court by Judge Lynne Simons last Friday to four concurrent counts of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Prosecutors Kelly Kossow and Adam Cate had sought habitual criminal sentencing for Clausen due to his continuous criminal activity that spanned 30 years, the fact that he had absconded from parole on a prior case at the time he committed the 7-Eleven robbery, the callousness of Clausen’s actions during the robbery and the danger that Clausen posed to the community if released. In her argument, Chief Deputy District Attorney Kossow stated that Clausen was the epitome of a habitual criminal and exactly the kind of offender the statute was designed for.