The punishment for Anthony Newton followed evidence from a 2016 killing and an earlier manslaughter case.
LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Relatives of two homicide victims were in court as Anthony Newton was sentenced to life without parole for killing and dismembering Ulyses “Cesar” Molina after a Christmas 2016 confrontation.
The hearing focused on Molina’s death but also brought back Newton’s earlier manslaughter conviction in the 1996 killing of Deborah Harvey. District Judge Jacqueline Bluth said she had considered Newton’s difficult childhood, but the sentence had to account for what prosecutors called a pattern of deadly violence. Newton, 46, will not be eligible for parole.
Molina’s sister, Celina Gonzalez, told the court her brother remained important to his family despite the way the case had been described for years. “My brother wasn’t perfect, but to me, he was a great brother,” Gonzalez said. “He was a great son, he was a great dad.” Her comments came after years in which Molina was often identified through the motive prosecutors assigned to the killing, as the man who had been involved with Newton’s wife while Newton was in prison. The sentencing gave his family a chance to speak beyond that label.
Prosecutors said Newton killed Molina with help from his brother-in-law, George Malaperdas. Court documents said the two men attacked Molina inside an apartment, tied him with shoestrings and accused him of having sex with Newton’s wife. A witness told police Newton placed his foot on Molina’s neck and applied pressure until Molina no longer moved. The records said Newton and Malaperdas then moved Molina into a bathroom, removed his clothing and wrapped the body in a bedspread. Prosecutors said the men spent days dismembering Molina before leaving remains in different places around the Las Vegas area.
The evidence left Molina’s family with a case that was both violent and incomplete. Burned remains were discovered Dec. 28, 2016, in a vacant lot in northeast Las Vegas. Police found a torso and legs, and DNA testing confirmed Molina’s identity. His head was never recovered. In 2018, a Henderson woman found a human hand in her mailbox, and police later determined it was Molina’s. Prosecutors said they could not explain how that hand reached the mailbox. That unanswered question stayed with the case through trial and sentencing.
Bluth also heard about Harvey, who was killed in Henderson in 1996 when Newton was a teenager. Newton pleaded guilty to manslaughter and served prison time in that case. At the 2026 sentencing, the judge said she felt for Newton’s childhood pain but could not ignore the danger shown by the record before her. The presence of relatives connected to both Harvey and Molina underscored the long reach of Newton’s crimes. Prosecutors asked the court to ensure he could not be released again.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Bill Flinn told the court the killing of Molina showed a severe level of cruelty. “It takes a different kind of horrific mentality to do something like that to another human being,” Flinn said. Prosecutors had argued in earlier proceedings that Newton acted out of hatred and perceived disrespect. In one February hearing, Flinn described the motive as rooted in “deep-seated hatred.” The state said Molina was lured to the apartment so Newton could confront him over the affair and that the attack was not a chance encounter.
Newton’s path to sentencing took several attempts. His 2024 trial ended in a mistrial after a witness mentioned that he had been in prison. Another trial ended without a verdict when jurors could not agree. A Clark County jury convicted him in February 2026 of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder and first-degree kidnapping. Prosecutors had once pursued a possible death sentence, but the case no longer moved forward as a capital matter after the final conviction. Bluth then imposed life without parole.
Malaperdas, who is the brother of Newton’s wife, pleaded guilty in 2020 to second-degree murder and is scheduled to be sentenced June 16. Kelsea Wray Glass also pleaded guilty in the case after prosecutors accused her of helping get Molina to the apartment. Some details of the co-defendants’ pleas were filed under seal. Their cases kept the broader prosecution alive even after Newton’s sentence, though Newton received the punishment prosecutors sought for the killing itself.
Newton is now set to spend the rest of his life in prison. The next court date tied to Molina’s killing is Malaperdas’ June 16 sentencing, while police have still not recovered all of Molina’s remains.
Author note: Last updated May 26, 2026.