Jimmy Lerner

Who is Jimmy Lerner?

Jimmy Lerner was born June 22, 1951 and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He spent 18 years as a Pacific Bell marketing executive, served for the U.S. Army in Panama, received an M.B.A. and spent time as a taxicab driver. He published his first book in 2002, You Got Nothing Coming, based on his experiences serving a 2½ year sentence in a Nevada State Prison for the voluntary manslaughter of Mark Slavin in 1998.

According to Lerner's account, Slavin was a seemingly ordinary person, but drug addiction left him prone to erratic and often violent behavior. When the two men visited Reno, Nevada to try their luck at the blackjack tables, Slavin assaulted Lerner, then tried to kill him in their room at the Sundowner Hotel and Casino. After Slavin threatened Lerner's two daughters, Lerner killed Slavin using a belt and a plastic bag. He then called 9-1-1 from the room, and was taken into custody shortly after. Since there was nobody else in the room at the time, Lerner's version of events could not be verified.

The police report and physical evidence contained evidence in conflict with Lerner's version of events. Slavin had been beaten badly: his eyes were swollen shut and bones protruded through his face. The shapes of a turtle and a steer's head—decorations from Slavin's belt—were imprinted on his neck. Lerner's main injuries, by contrast, were badly swollen hands. His jeans were covered with blood.