Richards Pleads Not Guilty in Sara Filiatraut Murder Case

Robert Matthew Richards appeared in Lyon County’s Third Judicial District Court in Yerington on Feb. 9 with his defense attorney, Kale Mackenzie Brock. Richards, who has been in custody in the Lyon County Jail since his extradition from Utah in November 2024, was arraigned on a charge of Open Murder before Judge Leon Aberasturi.

Richards, who pleaded not guilty, is charged in connection with the March 2024 death of 25-year-old Sara Filiatraut, whose disappearance was reported by her father on April 15, 2024. Investigators with the Lyon and Churchill County sheriff’s offices later found her body on May 23, 2024, in a remote desert pit about 30 miles east of Fallon. 

The Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the death a homicide, believing Sara Filiatraut was killed around March 23, 2024. Before she was reported missing, Richards had been arrested on April 8 in an unrelated case, released on his own recognizance on April 10, and later admitted to investigators that he had been with Filiatraut the night of March 22, claiming she left his trailer at the Desert Rose RV Park in Fernley.

On July 25, prosecutors concluded they had sufficient evidence and filed murder charges against Richards, leading to a multistate manhunt. Richards was extradited from Utah in November 2024, denied bail, and later evaluated and determined competent to stand trial. 

Judge Aberasturi explained the penalties of Open Murder to Richards, which include life in prison, 20 years to life in prison, or a definite term of 50 years in prison with parole eligibility after 20 years. A charge of open murder also means the jury has the option to find the defendant guilty of first or second-degree murder.

Richards will have an opportunity to participate in a Criminal Settlement Conference before trial, should he choose. A settlement conference allows the state and the defense to present their cases to an out-of-district senior district court judge. If the matter cannot be resolved, the case will proceed to a jury trial. 

Aberasturi set a status hearing for March 30. 

Richards has pleaded not guilty and is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.