Mother of murder victim seeks help with upcoming parole hearing

Georgia Marshall is planning what she will tell the Nevada Parole Board next month to keep her daughter's killer behind bars.

Michael D. Regan will try to convince the board that he should be released from the Nevada State Prison 14 years after strangling Linda Tompkins in 1992.

Every three years, Regan is eligible to face the parole board and argue for his release. Marshall, 72, wonders if this will be the last time she travels to Carson City to face Regan. She said the ordeal gets more difficult with time, and the stress affects her physically and emotionally.

"Every time, it has gotten harder for me. This time, I had to get tranquilizers," Marshall said. "I wish I could change the damn laws so I didn't have to go through this every three years. I would like (Tompkins) to rest in peace and not have to go through it again."

She and her other daughter, Lynne Davis, are convinced that Regan will hurt someone else if he is free. They say he becomes violent when using alcohol or drugs. Regan, 45, was sentenced to life in prison with parole eligibility after a minimum of five years. He confessed to second-degree murder and went to prison in 1994.

"He had a plea bargain to second degree murder, but my daughter did not die in the second degree. She is dead, and I call it second chance," said Marshall. "If he gets out, he will undoubtedly kill someone else."

Tompkins, 30, and Regan dated for six months before her death. Three of those months he spent in jail on outstanding warrants, Marshall said.

Tompkins broke off the relationship before Regan was released from custody, but allowed him to stay at her Court Street home for a few days until he could find a place to live. The family believes Tompkins was killed when she came home from work and found Regan drinking and using drugs.

Marshall suspects Tompkins ordered Regan and two of his friends out of the house immediately.

"It wasn't because he was in love. It was anger," Marshall says of the circumstances that led to her daughter's death.

One of Tompkins' last acts was pushing the record button on her telephone, which picked up her screams as she was attacked.

Initially, police investigated the case as a missing person. Tompkins' badly decomposed body was found eight days later by two men hunting frogs in an irrigation ditch near U.S. 50 and Wildes Road. Regan wasn't found and charged until a year later.

Davis believes if her sister's killer is ever released from prison, he will move back to Fallon and pose a danger to the community.

"He is just a murderer and shouldn't be let out," she said. "We'll definitely be in danger if he's ever let out. ... We just want people to know that as long as he's in this community, everyone's in danger."

Churchill County District Attorney Arthur Mallory said he will attend Regan's parole hearing to urge the board to deny his release.

Retired Fallon Police Officer Ray Dolan will also speak on behalf of the family. Dolan worked on the murder case for 19 months before Regan was sent to prison.

"There are some cases that just stay with you. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure Mike Regan stays in prison," Dolan said. "Linda Tompkins deserves to have him stay in prison. I feel sorry for Mike Regan's family, too. There are no winners in this situation.

"I also do this for the people in the community. Mike Regan murdered someone in this community and doesn't deserve to walk these streets or any other streets."

Marshall describes her daughter as "a go-getter" with a bright future. She was a weapons specialist in the U.S. Air Force for seven years as part of the 152nd Tactical Reconnaissance Group, known as the prestigious "High Rollers."

At the time of her murder, Tompkins was a reserve in the Air National Guard and worked at Kennecott Rawhide Mining Co.

"She was such a joy, she really was," said Marshall. "She always had a conversation with everyone. She could talk to anyone of any age. She's really missed."

Davis said although facing Regan at frequent parole hearings is difficult, she will be at every one.

"I don't mind breathing down his neck," she said. "We're there to honor Linda and let the parole board know who she was and how bad she's missed."

Marshall is asking people to send letters to the parole board supporting her effort. An exact date for the parole hearing has not been set, except that it will be sometime in January.

Letters can be mailed to: Nevada Parole Board, 1677 Hot Springs Road, Suite A, Carson City, Nev. 89711, Re: Michael Regan, No. 41965. The fax number is 775-687-6736.

• Marlene Garcia can be contacted at mgarcia@lahontanvalleynews.com.