Wanted fugitive convicted in 1976 murder of Carson City child found in Las Vegas
Submitted by Jeff Munson on Wed, 10/30/2013 - 11:08am
A man wanted as a fugitive after being convicted in 1976 of second degree murder of a child in Carson City has been arrested, the Nevada Division of Parole and Probation reports.
Wanted fugitive Eric William Zessman, 59, was arrested in Las Vegas. Zessman was convicted of the second degree murder of a child in Carson City in 1976. He was first paroled in 1981, and in each of his six parole releases since that date he became a fugitive or committed new crimes.
He committed the armed robbery of a coin company in Las Vegas in 1997 while on parole, and remained a fugitive-at-large for nearly 2 years. He was arrested and later convicted of that Robbery. Zessman was released on parole in both cases in the summer of 2006, and became an absconder from community supervision only 4 months later. Zessman has been considered an armed and dangerous fugitive, and has been featured on the Division’s Most Wanted web page since 2006.
“The Division really appreciates the assistance of the public and law enforcement in locating wanted fugitives”, said Tom Ely, Captain in the Division’s Headquarters in Carson City. “In this case, because of the telephone tip we received, and the proactive follow up by our personnel in both Carson City and Las Vegas, a dangerous, wanted felon is now off the street.”
The Division’s Fugitive Apprehension Unit in their Carson City Headquarters received a tip on Zessman’s location on Monday, along with information which indicated he was abusing an elderly woman and living with an individual who had been involved in the 1997 robbery.
The Division’s Southern Command was notified, and Parole & Probation officers were sent to the location in an attempt to locate Zessman. Surveillance was conducted and neighbors were contacted. Zessman was located and attempted to flee by jumping over a number of walls, however after a short foot pursuit he was apprehended by P&P officers. Zessman was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on the fugitive parole retake warrants.
The Division’s Most Wanted web page can be located at npp.dps.nv.gov, and then click on the Top Ten Most Wanted link.
