In a tense Las Vegas courtroom that briefly veered into family drama, a stalking case against Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo’s family ended with a prison sentence and a public act of forgiveness.
Yesterday, Stanley Weaver III was sentenced to 2 to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty but mentally ill to stalking the governor and members of his family. At the Clark County Regional Justice Center, the governor’s daughter, Morgan Lombardo, told the judge she forgives Weaver and urged that he get treatment and peace. The hearing turned emotional, with Weaver offering a brief apology and family members trading words in the gallery.
Prosecutors said the case involved repeated messages, social media outreach and videos documenting Weaver’s conduct, culminating in an incident where he smashed a window at a home he mistakenly believed belonged to the Lombardo family. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Weaver, 29, pleaded guilty but mentally ill to aggravated stalking, stalking through the use of the internet or electronic communications, and malicious destruction of property. District Judge Eric Johnson accepted the plea and the 2-to-15-year term. Prosecutors told the court that some victims were too afraid to appear in person because of threats tied to the harassment.
Morgan Lombardo, who works in the Clark County district attorney’s office, took the stand and said she believed Weaver “in his heart, did not mean to harm anyone” and that the family '100% forgives' him, as reported by the Review-Journal. Weaver apologized briefly, and his attorney told the court that he was diagnosed with schizophrenia only after competency proceedings began. The defense argued that an untreated mental health crisis explains much of Weaver’s behavior.
Earlier reporting by 8 News Now details the lead-up to the case: investigators say Weaver moved from California to Las Vegas in 2023 and repeatedly messaged the Lombardo family in early 2024. On March 3, 2024, he allegedly banged on a door in the west Las Vegas valley while yelling that the governor had killed someone, and police say he vandalized a window at the residence. Prosecutors consolidated additional charges, including an arson count, into the case before the plea and sentencing, and a judge set bail at $1,000,000 after the March 2024 arrest. 8 News Now also reported that Weaver waited roughly 85 days to be transported to a state facility after being deemed incompetent, a delay the outlet said highlighted a broader backlog in Nevada’s system.
Competency Delays and the Law
Nevada law directs that once a judge finds a defendant incompetent, the sheriff must “convey the defendant forthwith” to the Division of Public and Behavioral Health. Courts have interpreted that language to require transfer within about seven days and have sanctioned the division for longer delays. See NRS 178.425 and recent appellate rulings such as State v. Robert Cherry for the legal framework. Those decisions form the backdrop for defense motions and scrutiny of how quickly the state can place defendants into competency restoration programs.
What Comes Next
With credit for time served, the judge said Weaver will be eligible for parole in several months, as per 8 News Now. Both sides told the court the plea was designed to ensure supervision and access to treatment. Court records also show Weaver pleaded guilty in a separate June 2024 case to misdemeanor battery on an officer, resulting in a one-year sentence, officials said. Even with Tuesday’s resolution, the case leaves lingering questions about how Nevada courts and behavioral health agencies handle defendants with serious mental illness who repeatedly target private citizens.
