Las Vegas Strip Motel 8 murder suspect in court
A man accused of murder at the Motel 8 on the Las Vegas Strip is scheduled to appear in Justice Court for a June 29 hearing.
Brian Contreras, 32, was arrested June 9 on an open murder charge and a deadly weapon charge stemming from the 2021 incident.
According to Las Vegas TV station KLAS, a recently released police report shows that based on witness statements, the shooting of 32-year-old Jesse Poncelet on August 23, 2021 The shooting was premeditated.
Contreras, his girlfriend Poncele and three others were in a room at the Motel 8 on South Las Vegas Boulevard when shots were fired and Poncele fell to the ground. He later died from his injuries at University Medical Center.
Autopsy Reveals Murder
Initially, it was believed the shooting at the motel was an accident. Poncelet's death was later ruled a homicide after an autopsy performed by the Clark County Medical Examiner's Office determined that Poncelet died of a gunshot wound to the abdomen.
Investigators arrested 31-year-old Bryan Contreras after an early morning shooting near Las Vegas Boulevard and Russell Road left one person dead. Click here to learn more: https://t.co/9gCutmysiO#BREAKING #LasVegaspic.twitter.com/wxIPiveJPc
– LVMPD (@LVMPD) 23. August 2021
After the shooting, Contreras allegedly fled the motel, which is located on South Las Vegas Boulevard near Hacienda Boulevard and across from the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino.
Contreras was later identified and arrested. Police determined he was a convicted felon, so police charged him with being a prohibited person in possession of a weapon.
Multiple Court Dates
Judge Joseph Bonaventure initially released Contreras on his own recognizance on August 24, 2021. He initially refused to talk to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) detectives about the shooting.
Contreras and his girlfriend were subsequently arrested in October 2021 in Laughlin, Nevada. Contreras faces an unspecified criminal charge in California.
Judge Eric Goodman issued an arrest warrant for Contreras on March 15, 2022, when he failed to show up for a court hearing on the weapons charges. Justice Court Judge Amy Chelini issued another arrest warrant on March 29 as police continued to investigate the fatal shooting.
Contreras and his unnamed girlfriend were both drug users, according to police reports. Apparently, there's a drug paraphernalia case pending against her.
Contreras appeared in Las Vegas court on June 12 on an open murder charge and remains in custody at the Clark County Detention Center.
If convicted of both counts, Contreras could face decades in prison.
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Source: www.casino.org
