No fingerprints belonged to defendant

A forensic investigator testified Wednesday he found no physical evidence that linked a Carson City man to a 1998 fatal beating.

Dan Nuckolls, a retired Carson City Sheriff's Department deputy, told the jury in the murder trial of Rocky Boice Jr., of the 54 fingerprints lifted from suspected murder weapons, alcohol bottles in the motel room where the beating occurred, only seven were identified. None belonged to Boice, Nuckolls said.

Boice, 23, is the first of nine defendants to be tried in the motel-room beating death of Sammy Resendiz.

Nuckolls said no blood was found on clothing Boice turned over to police. No DNA testing was conducted on suspected blood found on items believed to be the weapons used in the attack.

Also Wednesday, the jury was removed and the courtroom locked for about 30 minutes as attorneys questioned emergency-room physician Dr. Richard Conte. The doctor treated Resendiz, 25, before the badly beaten man was sent to Washoe Medical Center where he later died from his injuries.

The defense has suggested Conte, who is in the Douglas County Jail on an unrelated kidnapping charge, was negligent in his care of Resendiz because he did not drill a hole into the man's skull to relieve his swelling brain.

Conte did not testify before the jury. It was unclear if Conte would be brought to court again.

Eight other defendants in the case are expected to be tried during the next seven months: Frederick Fred, Lew Dutchy, Jaron Malone, Clint Malone, Mike Kizer, Elvin Fred, Sylvia Fred and Jessica Evans.