Man convicted of 1986 Las Vegas murder dies in prison

An inmate serving a life sentence for first-degree murder died this week at a Northern Nevada prison, state corrections officials said Thursday.

William Berry was convicted in the 1986 fatal shooting of Ricky Dunlap in Las Vegas and sentenced to life without parole, according to previous Las Vegas Review‑Journal coverage.

Berry, 77, died at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center in Carson City on Wednesday, according to a Nevada Department of Corrections news release. An autopsy was requested.

Berry entered department custody on Jan. 21, 1987, officials said.

Berry, formerly of Las Vegas, was found guilty of the May 10, 1986, slaying of Dunlap, 20, a drug dealer who was trying to sell cocaine, according to previous Review-Journal reporting.

Prosecutors had sought the death penalty against Berry, who was 27 when he was convicted by a District Court jury in December 1986. The killing occurred in the city’s Westside.