Las Vegas, NV (AP) - A Las Vegas judge characterized two California men as criminal predators and a danger to the public as she denied them the chance for release from jail while they face murder and other charges in a series of robberies and shootings that left two people dead during the New Year’s weekend.
“There’s no question these two defendants are a danger to the community,” Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Harmony Letizia said after hearing three detectives testify about the arrests of Jesani Carter, 20, and Jordan Ruby, 18. Both remain held without bail at the Clark County jail.
The two men were arrested Dec. 31, hours before a Las Vegas Strip fireworks show that tourism officials planned for hundreds of thousands of New Year’s revelers.
“They came to town on the busiest weekend of the year to terrorize the community, to terrorize tourists,” the judge said.
Clarice Yamaguchi, 66, of Waipahu, Hawaii, was killed Dec. 31 in an afternoon purse-snatch-turned-shooting as her husband struggled with her assailant in a parking garage at the Fashion Show mall, police said.
Less than five hours later, Hyo Sup “Richard” Um, 60, was shot and killed on the third floor of the parking structure at Palace Station, police said
A police detective testified Monday that Um was seen on security video gambling at Palace Station before he was killed, and his wallet was not found with his body.
Detectives described security camera images and witnesses who linked Carter and Ruby with a silver BMW sedan with a temporary California license tag seen at armed robberies also at parking structures for the Wynn resort on Dec. 30 and Sahara hotel-casino on Dec. 31.
Prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo alleged the two defendants “came to Las Vegas for the purpose of robbing people on New Year’s.”
Neither Carter nor Ruby has entered a plea to charges that were expanded Monday from three to 13 felony counts also including attempted murder, robbery with a weapon and conspiracy to commit robbery. A preliminary hearing of evidence is scheduled Feb. 10.