The case will now proceed to trial in Lyon County district court after a Nevada man responsible for the Naomi Irion killing last year forfeited his right to a preliminary hearing in justice court.
The Associated Press reported that the preliminary hearing for Troy Driver was supposed to start this week in Fernley’s Canal Township Justice Court.
This is a representation photo of a wooden court tool as the suspect allegedly responsible in Naomi Irion killing waived the preliminary hearing. (Photo by Tingey Injury Law Firm via Unsplash)
The next status hearing was set for February 27 after he signed the waiver that was submitted to the court on Tuesday and appeared by video connection on Wednesday from the jail.
He was found competent to stand trial for the March 2022 fatal shooting of 18-year-old Naomi Irion by a court in December.
Naomi Irion Killing: Suspect Waives Preliminary Hearing
In a ruling issued on Thursday obtained by AP (via Fox News and Fox 11 Reno), Canal Township Justice Court Judge Lori Matheus cancelled both the hearing and one scheduled for September 13 to consider a petition by Driver’s public defenders to have some charges dropped.
Driver is also accused of robbery, destroying evidence, and sexual assault in addition to first-degree murder. His lawyers contend that since the murder took place in nearby Churchill County, he cannot be prosecuted for it in Lyon County.
Because he abducted Naomi Irion from a Walmart there, killed her, and buried her in the desert there, “all as one continuous course of conduct.” According to the prosecution, he can be prosecuted for all of the crimes in Lyon County.
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How Naomi Irion Died
NewsNation said the 18-year-old was abducted from a Walmart parking lot on March 12 as she was making her way to work in the small town of Fernley, Nevada. Soon after, her relatives reported her missing.
In connection with her kidnapping, authorities detained Troy Driver, 41, in March.
The revised criminal complaint, which was filed by Lyon County District Attorney Stephen Rye on Tuesday, added first-degree murder and additional offenses to the abduction allegation that Driver was previously facing.
Irion is said to have been abducted from the Fernley, Nevada, Walmart parking lot and killed by the driver on or before March 25. Following a tip, detectives recovered her remains in a cemetery four days later.
In addition to burying Irion, the new lawsuit claims that Driver also concealed or destroyed Irion’s smartphone and disposed of vehicle tires in an effort to hide any evidence that would aid in his capture.
Driver has been detained on a $750,000 bond in the Lyon County prison in Fernley, roughly 30 miles east of Reno, ever since his arrest.
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