POLICE SAY DRUGS A FACTOR IN STABBING OF 2 CHILDREN

MESQUITE, Nev. -- A 3-year-old girl was stabbed to death and her
half-sister was left paralyzed in an attack police in this desert resort
town said was an act of revenge for a methamphetamine deal gone bad.

The brother and sister accused in the crime -- Beau Maestas, 19, and
Monique Maestas, 16 -- could face the death penalty, and the victims'
mother, who was gambling at a casino with her boyfriend when the Maestases
allegedly attacked her daughters in their trailer home, could face child
endangerment charges.

The slaying of 3-year-old Kristyanna Cowan and the wounding of her
half-sister Brittney Bergeron, 10, rocked this community of 14,000, located
80 miles east of Las Vegas. The town considers itself a refuge from
big-city crime, and it was the first murder in Mesquite since December
2001. "It was a very vicious attack," said Lieutenant Matt Alberto of the
Nevada Division of Investigation. "It's very emotional when you're dealing
with innocent children."

Mesquite Deputy Police Chief Joe Szalay said, "The whole community was in
shock that something like this could happen in Mesquite." Clark County
District Attorney David Roger said that both Maestases will be tried as
adults and that both are eligible for the death penalty because of the
nature of the crime.

A preliminary hearing is expected to be held later this month, but not
before a judge hears a defense motion Tuesday to move Monique Maestas's
trial to juvenile court.

Under Nevada law, a defendant charged with murder, attempted murder, or
rape is automatically tried in adult court, regardless of age, a statute
that some defense lawyers say is unfair.

"We could have a case involving a 12-year-old, and they'd still be tried as
an adult," said Phil Kohn, the public defender handling Monique's case.
"It's ludicrous. They should have to prove it belongs in adult court."

The Maestases were arrested within hours of the attack Jan. 22 and charged
with murder. Police said Beau Maestas confessed to the crime after he was
apprehended in Nephi, Utah, 260 miles from the scene of the slaying.
Alberto said a large-blade kitchen knife and a small paring knife were
found wrapped in blood-stained clothing on the roof of an abandoned gas
station off Interstate 15 near Fillmore, Utah, 60 miles south of where the
teenagers were arrested. Police said blood evidence was found inside the
Mesquite home of the Maestases' grandmother, where the teenagers were staying.

During interviews with investigators, Beau Maestas allegedly told police
that he paid $125 for what he believed was methamphetamine from Tammy
Bergeron and her boyfriend, Bobby Schmidt, only to find out that the white
substance he was sold was table salt. Enraged, he confronted the couple
inside the CasaBlanca resort casino.

"Beau Maestas decided he wanted justice or revenge for being ripped off,"
Alberto said.

Casino cameras caught a portion of what Szalay described as "a standoff" on
videotape. The tape shows CasaBlanca security guards escorting the
teenagers from the property after they exchanged heated words with Bergeron
and Schmidt, who continued playing the slots.

It was just before 2 a.m. when, according to investigators, the Maestases
arrived at the small trailer where Bergeron's children were home alone.
Police said they knocked on the metal door and called out for the young
girls to let them in.

Once inside, authorities allege that the two teenagers repeatedly stabbed
the young girls. Bergeron arrived home about 10 minutes after the attack.
The children were rushed by helicopter to University Medical Center in Las
Vegas. Kristyanna died at 5:25 a.m. Brittney, who police said had struggled
with the intruders, suffered stab wounds to her arms and back and had her
spinal cord severed in the attack, leaving her paralyzed from the waist
down. She is now in protective custody, according to Susan
Klein-Rothschild, director of Clark County Family Services.