Court Hearing for Murder Suspect in Filiatraut Case Set for Nov. 19

A status hearing for the man accused of murdering a woman who went missing last March was scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 19 in Canal Township Justice Court.

Robert Richards was extradited from Utah to Nevada on Nov. 5 and made his first court appearance for a bail hearing on Nov. 7. At that hearing, Richards was appointed a public defender, Patrick Mansfield of Mansfield & Mayo Law Firm. The charges against Richards were read and his rights were explained to him, and both his attorney and the District Attorney’s Office agreed to reserve bail arguments for a later date.

Richards was ordered to remain in custody of the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office with no bail.

At a status conference on Nov. 12, Mansfield again reserved bail arguments for a later date and also waived the defendant’s right to a preliminary hearing within 15 days. The hearing was then continued to Nov. 19. Watch for updates to this story online at FernleyReporter.com.

A criminal complaint was originally filed against Richards on July 25, and an amended complaint with the same charges was filed Aug. 13.

In the complaint, Richards is charged with killing Sara Filiatraut by strangulation and/or blunt force trauma at or near Desert Rose RV Park, Space 237 on or between March 22 and 23.