The Misery Machine - Rich Kid Kills 7-Year-Old. His Friend Celebrates.

Episode Date: June 13, 2022

Sherrice Iverson was an 8 year old girl who was on vacation with her father and half brother at the Primmadonna Resort& Casino in Primm, Nevada. she was killed at around 3:00 in the morning by teenage...r Jeremy Strohmeyer, who playfully lured her into a women's restroom. The case drew national attention by focusing on the safety of children in casinos and on the revelation that Strohmeyer's friend, David Cash Jr., said he saw the crime in progress and chose not to stop it.  Prada's Fundraiser: https://www.gofundme.com/f/please-help-save-prada Check out Hollie's masks here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/HollsNDolls Support Our Patreon For More Unreleased Content: https://www.patreon.com/themiserymachine PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/themiserymachine Join Our Facebook Group to Request a Topic: https://t.co/DeSZIIMgXs?amp=1 Instagram: miserymachinepodcast Twitter: misery_podcast Discord: https://discord.gg/kCCzjZM #themiserymachine #podcast #truecrime Source Material: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Strohmeyer https://www.blacknews.com/news/man-who-brutally-raped-killed-7-year-old-black-girl-sherrice-iverson-seeks-parole/ https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/chill-at-student-s-lack-of-moral-feeling-1.206953 https://www.reviewjournal.com/crime/homicides/7-year-old-girls-murder-at-nevada-casino-still-haunts-20-years-later/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primm,_Nevada https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primm_Valley_Resorts https://www.facebook.com/PastAndPresentKingsandQueens/posts/update-on-horrific-crime-david-cash-witnessed-his-friend-jeremy-strohmeyer-rape-/908675935899051

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Starting point is 00:00:00 In the early morning of May 25, 1997, 18-year-old Jeremy Strohmeyer, 17-year-old David Cash Jr., and Cash's father, David Sr., took a trip out to the Primadonna Resort and Casino, now known simply as the Prim Valley Resort, for Memorial Day weekends. Located in the Unincorporated Community known as Prim, the Prim Valley Casino Resort is a group of three hotel casinos located along Interstate 15 at the California. State line, and are a popular stop for folks traveling between Las Vegas and California. The first to be built was Whiskey Peets, followed by the Prim Valley Resort, and then finally, Buffalo Bills. Also present at the resort was 7-year-old Cherise Iverson, whose father Leroy was spending the early morning drinking and gambling. Her father left Cherise in the care of her 14-year-old half-brother Harold in the casino's arcade. But like most 14, 14, year olds, Harold didn't really want to be bothered to watch his sister, which resulted in
Starting point is 00:01:05 Cherise wandering about the casino floor unmonitored. Cherise had been returned to her father on two separate occasions by resort security, and it should be noted that our story takes place at around 3 o'clock in the morning. Cherise's mother, Yolanda, a 28-year-old cafeteria worker, was back home in Los Angeles at this time. During one of the times that Cherise was left unattended and wandering about the casino floor, she caught the attention of Strohmeyer who began making playful contact with her. Eventually, Strohmeyer followed Charisse into the women's restroom. While in the restroom, the two began crumpling up paper towels into wads,
Starting point is 00:01:45 soaking them with water, and then throwing them at one another. During the lighthearted melee, Charisse eventually picked up a yellow plastic wet floor sign and tossed it at Strohmeyer. Strohmeyer's friend David Cash Jr. entered the restroom and witnessed Strohmeyer forcibly taking Cherise into a large handicap accessible stall. Rather than intervening, Cash stepped into an adjacent stall and peeked up over the side. The teen witnessed Strohmeyer holding his left hand over Sharice's mouth to stifle her screams. And again, rather than intervening, Cash decided to leave the restroom.
Starting point is 00:02:24 It was at this moment that Strohmeyer began to essay Cherise. 20 minutes later, Strohmeyer rejoined Cash on the casino floor and confessed to him the unthinkable that Cherise Iverson was dead. He then went on to explain that he strangled the young girl, but then he noticed that he hadn't quite killed her. So he decided to twist her head in an attempt to break her neck. After hearing a loud popping sound, he rested her body in a sitting position on the toilet, with her feet in the bowl.
Starting point is 00:02:56 By his own recollection, Cash Jr's only response was to ask Strohmeyer whether Cherise had become aroused. So you'd think with David Cash knowing all of this information about what just happens,
Starting point is 00:03:10 you'd think he'd go to some sort of security guard or call the police or something to turn his friend in, but you couldn't be more wrong about that. The two guys, for the rest of the night, hung out, had fun, and rode roller coasters. It was as if nothing happened between the two,
Starting point is 00:03:27 and David Cash was able to be in the presence of Strohmeyer, not even bothered knowing that he had just killed Cherise. After the holiday weekend, the two returned to school in Long Beach, where they were star math students at Woodrow Wilson High School. But the two wouldn't remain free for very long. When police released the video surveillance tape showing Charisse running into a woman's restroom,
Starting point is 00:03:52 chased by Strohmeyer at 3.47 a.m., along with other footage, the two were quickly identified by their classmates who saw the broadcast on television. Stromeyer was arrested and Cash agreed to testify. However, Cash was never charged with a crime. In Nevada, as in many states, he did nothing illegal. According to Las Vegas police sergeant Kevin Manning, quote, There is no law requiring citizens to report a crime and no law requiring them to stop crime. There was a moral obligation, but we don't arrest people on moral issues, end quote. Strohmeyer was charged with first-degree homicide, first-degree kidnapping, an essay of a minor. When questioned by police, Strohmeier provided a full confession and outlined the details of
Starting point is 00:04:40 Sharise's death. Displeased with cash, Woodrow Wilson High School expelled him and forbade him from attending graduation ceremonies. However, he showed up anyway, waving to television. cameras from a white limousine and going to a friend's house to watch himself on the news. Then, as he was about to start a nuclear engineering course at Berkeley, David Cash began to talk on radio and television shows. Cash told the Los Angeles Times, quote, I'm not going to get upset over somebody else's life. I just worry about myself first. End quote.
Starting point is 00:05:16 He then later told the CBS television show 60 Minutes, quote, I don't feel there is much I could have done differently. Furthermore, he said, I didn't want to be the one to turn him in. He's also my best friend, end quote, basically showing he had no remorse about not seeking help during Strohmeyer's attack. Backtracking to the grotesque comment Cash made to Strohmeyer at the casino regarding Cherise, he told a stunned Los Angeles Times reporter, that's just the way I think. Cash also told a radio call-in show that his notoriety was helping him to
Starting point is 00:05:52 score with the ladies. He also said that he did not know Charisse Iverson, so he could only feel bad about his friend Jeremy in this situation. Students at Berkeley held protests demanding cash's expulsion. Twice the student body has passed resolutions asking cash to leave, but its president vetoed them, claiming that he did not believe that it's the organization's right to cast moral judgments without the benefits of due process. Similarly, the university chancellor agreed that the school has no grounds to expel cash as he hasn't violated any school rules or broken any laws. Stromeyer obtained the counsel of
Starting point is 00:06:32 defense attorney Leslie Abramson, who had represented many high-profile clients, including the Menendez brothers. Stromeyer claimed he was high on alcohol and drugs, including meth at the time and he did not remember committing the crime. It was even saying, suggested that perhaps the witness David Cash had, in fact, been the one to kill Cherise, as Stromyre claimed to have no recollection of his actions and the witness was the one to actually tell him what he had seen him doing in the bathroom that night. Abramson also noted that Strohmeyer's biological father is in prison and his biological mother is in a mental hospital. Abramson also tried to have the confession that Strowmire provided to police suppress because
Starting point is 00:07:17 he was not given legal counsel. However, the police claimed that Strohmeyer waived his right to have an attorney present during questioning. Stromyer's trial was scheduled to begin in September of 1998. He was originally facing a possible death sentence for the homicide, but hours before his trial was to start, Abramson entered a plea bargain on his behalf. On September 8th, 1998, Stromeyer pled guilty on four charges, first-degree homicide, first-degree kidnapping, essay on a minor, and an additional charge to include bodily harm. On October 14, 1998, he was sentenced to four life terms, one for each crime he had pled guilty to, to be served consecutively without the possibility of parole. In a rambling diatribe in court, he blamed a variety of people for the crime, his adoptive parents,
Starting point is 00:08:11 the America Online Internet Service provider that first allowed him to see adult materials, the Nevada Gaming Commission, which did little to patrol the casino. And finally, he blamed David Cash for failing to stop him. In October of 1999, Strohmeyer's parents, who had adopted him, filed a $1 million lawsuit against the Los Angeles County and its adoption workers. They claimed that social workers deliberately withheld crucial information that have stopped them from adopting him as an infant. Specifically, they claimed they were never told that Stromeyer's biological mother had severe mental problems, including that she suffered
Starting point is 00:08:51 from schizophrenia and had been hospitalized more than 60 times prior to Strowmeyer's birth. Cherise Iverson's death led to the passage of the Nevada State Assembly Bill 267, which required citizens to report to authorities when they have reasonable suspicions that a minor was subjected to a crime, like the one we've outlined regarding Cherise. This directly stemmed from Cash's in action. The bill provides a fine and possible jail time for anyone who fails to report a crime of this nature. Stromeyer was initially incarcerated at Eli State Prison,
Starting point is 00:09:29 a maximum security prison where most prisoners in Nevada who are serving life without parole are in prison for at least an early portion of their sentences. Apparently while he was at Eli State Prison, was in protective custody the entire time so that the other inmates wouldn't attack him. Stromeyer was reportedly transferred to the Lovelock Correctional Center in Lovelock, Nevada, where he is classified as medium custody. He has attempted to appeal his sentence on several occasions, all of which have thankfully failed.
Starting point is 00:10:02 Cherise's father, Leroy, asked the Prim Valley Casino Resorts for $100, a room at the hotel, dinner for his 14-year-old and Cherise's funeral expenses as well as some beer. It is our understanding that he signed away his right to sue the casino in return for these things. Let us know down below in the comments if you think this is fair, if you personally would have accepted these things, or if you would have gone ahead with a lawsuit. Several sources have noted that the reason why this case gained national attention is not necessarily because of Cherise,
Starting point is 00:10:41 but because Jeremy Strohmeyer coming from an affluent background and being popular as well as the head of his class. And finally, according to a post on Facebook from the page, Past and Present, Sancofa, Plains Exploration and Production Company, which is one of the largest oil companies in California, actually hired David Cash Jr. as one of their equipment operators. Cash was lucky to receive this high-paying job,
Starting point is 00:11:08 all thanks to his nuclear engineering degree from the University of California and Berkeley. However, cash was later doxed and no longer works for the company and received threatening phone calls at his home due to outrage citizens. And as of 2022, his current whereabouts are unknown. We both wanted to say thank you to everyone
Starting point is 00:11:29 that has donated to Prada's GoFundMe. So we wanted to make a couple slides here with the names of everyone who was so generous enough to donate to Prada's care. Thank you all so very much for helping Prada out. It means the world to us. She is currently sleeping right now, so she didn't get to make an appearance today, but I assure you, she is very mouthy and very aggressive and headbuts us constantly. And if you'd like more consistent updates about what's going on with Prada's care, please check our GoFundMe below. We update that more frequently. We also have a very wonderful group of people supporting us on page.
Starting point is 00:12:08 I will put their names up right now. I want to say welcome to seven new patrons, lettuce, Cynthia, Shane, Kathleen, Lee, Tiffany, and Cody. Special shout out to our Levi-tier patrons. Levi, Holly, Chaka, Amelia, Laura, and Cody. There's their lovely pictures right now. Very special shout out to our girl, you nasty tear. Dom, thank you for being as nasty as you are. Girl, you nasty. You nasty. Very, very special. shout out to our highest tier Patreon supporters, Kiki and Melissa. There's their lovely pictures right now. Thank you all for going that extra step to support us in the ways of which you have. There's Halz and Dolls, Holly's mask store. If you want access to the best quality masks we've ever worn, Holly's Etsy link is down below. But until next week,
Starting point is 00:12:58 We love you. We love you. Bye.

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