A Las Vegas man is accused of shooting dead a woman who mentored him, fed him and consoled him throughout his life. The man, 19-year-old Erich Nowsch, is charged with the first degree murder of mother-of-four Tammy Meyers in Vegas on February 13. She had been taking her daughter out for a driving lesson when she got into a minor accident with a man. Later that day, Meyers was shot in the head in front of her home. She died from her injuries the following day.
Nowsch was arrested after a standoff with police on February 19 just a block away from where Meyers, 44, was shot. He’s accused of being a weed smoking gang-member in the Vegas-area. According to Meyers’ husband, Robert, Nowsch was known well to the family and Tammy Meyers had mentored and consoled the suspect when his father died in 2010. After the arrest, Robert Meyers told reporters at his home, “We know this boy. I couldn’t tell you this before. He knew where I lived. We knew how bad he was, but we didn’t know it was this bad. That he’d gotten to this point, and his friends. She (Tammy Meyers), she gave him money, she told him to pull his pants up and be a man.”
Here’s what you need to know:
1. He Could Face the Death Penalty
Nowsch, 19, was arrested after a standoff at his mother’s home on the 7900 block of Cherry River Drive in Las Vegas. His mother’s name is Kathleen Nowsch. Her home is located one block from Tammy Meyers’ house. He’s facing charges of murder, attempted murder and discharging a gun within a vehicle. You can watch video from the standoff above. In the state of Nevada the maximum penalty for first degree murder is death. Other penalties include life in prison without the possibility of parole. ABC Las Vegas reports that wen Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson was asked if the death penalty would be sought in the case, he replied “nothing is off the table.”
Erich Nowsch’s Mugshot. (Handout)
CBS Las Vegas reports that Nowsch’s mother called the police on him. A neighbor of hers told the station that police “were calling him by name, asking him to come out of the house with his hands clear. They knew he was there, they said they weren’t going to hurt him, they just wanted to talk to him.”
2. His Father Died 5 Years Ago This Month
This was posted to Nowsch’s Instagram two years ago. He goes by the Instagram handle @Moblife18.
His father, Erich Nowsch Senior, died “suddenly” in February 2010. His obit reads that he was a “master craftsman” and a “kind, loving and fun person.” Erich Jr. was his only son. The obit says Erich’s mother, Kathleen, was Erich Sr.’s “former wife.” Online records show that Erich Senior once failed to appear in court to answer a noise complaint coming from his home in Vegas. KLAS-TV reports that when Erich Sr. died, Tammy Meyers “had spent countless hours consoling the teen.”
3. Tammy Meyers Went After Nowsch Because She ‘Knew How Bad He Was’
Tammy Meyers pictured on Facebook.
Meyers, 44, a mother of four, was shot dead after an argument occurred while she was taking her 15-year-old daughter out for a driving lesson. The incident began when Meyers got into a minor accident with a man. Meyers was driving when the accident happened. The initial interaction between the suspect and Meyers had widely been reported as an incidence of road rage. The day after Nowsch’s arrest however, Las Vegas police released a statement saying they were no longer using that phrase to describe it.
(Facebook)
After dropping her daughter home, Tammy got her son, Brandon, to come out with her to search for the man who she argued with. Meyers told her son to bring his legally bought gun with him. Speaking to the media after Nowsch’s arrest, Robert Meyers, Tammy’s husband, said the family knew Nowsch. He said that his wife went after him because she “knew how bad he was” and was worried he’d come after their family.
After being unable to find the man, she and her son returned home. Shortly after, the man appeared at their home. Shots were fired by both sides, with police saying that the suspect fired first. It was during that exchange that Meyers was killed. The Las Vegas Sun reports that Brandon Meyers told police that he thought there were three people in the car he shot at. Tammy’s son said that he the car at least once.
(Facebook)
KLAS-TV reports, citing a police report, that Nowsch told friends that he fired his gun 22 times during the shootout. It’s also stated that Nowsch was first questioned about the murder on February 17. He allegedly told cops that he had been with friends at a recording studio at the time of the attack, something his friends didn’t corroborate.
A 49-year-old former friend of Nowsch’s told the Daily Mail that the real reason for the shooting was a prescription drug-deal gone bad between Meyers and the suspect.
4. Tammy’s Husband Called Nowsch an ‘Animal’
At the standoff, Meyers’ husband, Robert, went to the scene and called Nowsch an “animal.” Fox 5 Vegas reports that Robert Meyers yelled at Nowsch “Are you happy?” and “That’s the animal, a block away.” During the standoff, Robert Meyers attempted to get through the police tape surrounding Kathleen Nowsch’s home, a cop told him it was “okay” to which Robert Meyers replied “No! It ain’t okay.” You can watch video of Robert Meyers at the scene above.
During the fallout of the shooting, Robert Meyers had defended his son’s role. He called Brandon a “hero.” Brandon had told the media “I did what I had to do to protect my family. Everyone can think what they have to think. I did it for a reason. And I’d do it for anyone I love.”
The Daily Mail quotes a source telling them that Nowsch was a member of a Las Vegas street gang named Alpha Block. The unnamed person told the Mail, “He’s known by the police gang unit. He represents a gang, he says he’s not with them any more, but he has access to weapons, his friends have weapons.” Nowsch went by the alias Baby-G.
5. He Went to the Same High School as Brandon Meyers, Tammy’s Son
On his Facebook page, Nowsch says that he’s a native of Las Vegas. His page lists him as living in South Bound Brook, New Jersey. His Instagram and Facebook pages are littered with photos of him smoking weed. Nowsch attended Palo Verde High School in Vegas. According to KTNV reporter Jackqui Heinrich, Nowsch’s last school was Bonanza High School, the same school that Tammy’s son Brandon attended.
Nowsch’s mother Kathleen. (Facebook)
On his mother’s Facebook page, it says that she’s a native of South Bound Brook in New Jersey. His late father was a native of New Britain, Connecticut. Until May 2013, she worked at Wynn Casino. She graduated from Kean University in Union, New Jersey.