The Beginning of the Sherrice Iverson Act

Tawana K Watson

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Sherrice Iverson, a 7-year-old African American girl, was found murdered on Sunday, May 25, 1997, in the bathroom at the Primadonna Hotel-Casino on the outskirts of Nevada. The evidence showed that Sherrice died around 3:30ish from asphyxiation due to strangulation and evidence showed that she was forcibly raped.

Sherrice was at the casino with her father, LeRoy Iverson, 56 years old, and her 14-year-old brother.

LeRoy Iverson along with his two children left Los Angeles, on May 25, 1997, arriving at Buffalo Bill’s Hotel-Casino at 12:30 am, and around 1:30 am, Mr. Iverson was asked to leave because he was not paying attention to his children. After leaving Buffalo Bill’s, Mr. Iverson went to the Primadonna Hotel-Casino where again he was not paying attention to his children. According to witnesses, two young males were seen playing with Sherrica near the arcade area of the Primadonna. These young males were described as being white males in their 20s, one having brown to blond hair and the other having dark short hair. After Sherrica’s body was found, Primadonna provided the police video surveillance that was later put out to the public.

On May 29, 1997, Jeremy Strohmeyer was arrested and his friend David Cash Jr. ultimately turned himself in to the police. It was discovered during interviews, that David Cash Jr., witnessed Jeremy Strohmeyer forcing Sherrica into a bathroom stall where he began to rape her. David never tried to intervene, nor did he report the crime to any officials. David Cash Jr. was never charged with the crime.

LeRoy Iverson, who neglected his children while gambling was also never charged. However, on October 14, 1998, Jeremy Strohmeyer, after taking a plea, was sentenced to four life sentences to be served consecutively without the possibility of parole.

On September 9, 1998, the Sherrica Iverson Act was introduced by the House of Representatives. This act amends, “the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to require a State, to be eligible to receive Federal grants for child abuse and neglect prevention and treatment, to provide a certification that it has in effect and is enforcing a law providing for a criminal penalty on an individual age 18 or older who fails to report to a State or local law enforcement official that the individual has witnessed another individual in the State sexually abusing a child.”

Sources

https://www.reviewjournal.com/crime/homicides/7-year-old-girls-murder-at-nevada-casino-still-haunts-20-years-later/

https://lasvegassun.com/news/1998/aug/31/strohmeyer-timeline/

https://lasvegassun.com/news/1997/may/27/7-year-old-raped-before-she-was-murdered/

https://www.congress.gov/bill/105th-congress/house-bill/4531?r=9&s=1

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# true crime community# missing black children# true crime addicts# black women and girls# child abuse

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