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Thursday, April 23, 2026 at 3:52 PM

Dayton man convicted of murdering sister-in-law

Dayton man convicted of murdering sister-in-law
Robert Perea, The Fernley Reporter

A Dayton man was found guilty on Sept. 14 of first degree murder of his sister-in-law.

James Leo Hamrick, 56, of Dayton, Nevada was found guilty of first degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon and destruction of evidence, following a week long jury trial in Third Judicial District Court in Yerington.

This case occurred on April 28, 2016, when Hamrick murdered Toni Marie Davis, 60, at their home in Dayton.

James Leo Hamrick


The District Attorney’s Office charged that Hamrick was at home alone with Davis for a short time before he killed her. Lewis Hamrick, brother of the defendant and husband of the victim, returned to the house in Dayton a short time later and discovered that both Hamrick and Davis were gone. Davis never returned and she was reported missing to local law enforcement.

The Lyon County Sheriff’s Office, Detective Division, and the Nevada Division of Investigations investigated the case. During the course of the investigation they were led to the naked body of Davis. It took nearly three weeks of searching and investigation before law enforcement found Davis’ body. Hamrick was arrested and charged with the murder and destruction of evidence for hiding the body. He also hid the murder weapon, which was a small caliber handgun.

“We hope that this verdict will help bring some closure to the spouse, family and friends of the victim in this case,” District Attorney Stephen Rye said. “Law enforcement worked diligently to locate the victim and bring this case to prosecution so that Hamrick could be held responsible for this crime.”

The Third Judicial District Court will sentence Hamrick on a date to be determined.

Jeremy Reichenberg and Brian Haslem prosecuted this case for the Lyon County District Attorney.

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Comment author: Jack & Nancy CookComment text: Wonderful man. Created a precious family with Linda. Will always respect and admire his contribution to teaching at FHS.Comment publication date: 4/18/26, 10:27 AMComment source: Howard David JacksonComment author: JeffDickersonComment text: Very well reported, even though our motion was denied.Comment publication date: 4/15/26, 11:05 AMComment source: Judge allows Fernley City Council to proceed with corrective agenda item in Lau expulsion caseComment author: Todd fossumComment text: Hi my name is todd fossum i'm clarence's stepson, I was wondering if he had any siblings. I think he said he had a sister that just survived cancer. If she can get ahold of me or any buddy, my number is 916. 3 4 3 1 1 7 7.Thank you have a blessed dayComment publication date: 1/16/26, 4:33 PMComment source: Clarence L Shields C Comment author: Carl HagenComment text: So just curious, what is the point of a franchise agreement if it is not exclusive?Comment publication date: 12/15/25, 4:18 PMComment source: Council approves non-exclusive franchise agreement for waste collection C Comment author: Christine S GleasonComment text: In the first photo, the woman in the middle, wearing the black shirt, is SaraH Jean Gleason. She is not an FHS Leadership Student but is the person who is responsible (with the help of her father) for starting the Fernley Community Thanksgiving Dinner in 2011. She attended this year's dinner while home from Arizona State University, where she is working on her PhD.Comment publication date: 12/8/25, 8:52 PMComment source: About 400 meals served at Community Thanksgiving DinnerComment author: SusanComment text: RIP Sean. Prayers to the family, sorry for your loss.Comment publication date: 9/25/25, 1:11 PMComment source: Sean Everett Turner
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