The Press Box.

Ex-unlv Star Convicted In Killing

September 29, 1998|By Mark Shapiro.

NEW YORK — Richie Adams, a former UNLV basketball star convicted of manslaughter in the 1996 beating death of a 15-year-old girl, faces a maximum sentence of life in prison when sentenced Oct. 26.

A jury deliberated for nearly four days before finding the 35-year-old Adams guilty Monday of a lesser charge of first-degree manslaughter in the beating death of Norma Rodriguez. The high school student was found Oct. 15, 1996, in the hallway of a housing project in the Bronx where she and Adams had lived.

Adams, who has been in and out of jail for several felony convictions in the 1980s and '90s, was once considered a defensive whiz at UNLV. He played under coach Jerry Tarkanian and was known for his shot-blocking and rebounding talents. The 6-foot-9-inch Adams was nicknamed "the Animal" because of his intense playing style.

But "the Animal's" trouble with the law began in 1985, a day after he was drafted by the Washington Bullets, when he was arrested and charged with stealing a car.

He was jailed three times on robbery and grand larceny convictions before being charged with second-degree murder in Rodriguez's death.