Las Vegas Strip Alleged Stabber Found Competent to Stand Trial on Murder, Terrorism Charges

Las Vegas Strip Alleged Stabber Found Competent to Stand Trial on Murder, Terrorism Charges.

Costfoto / NurPhoto / Getty Images

Key Takeaways

The man accused of that left two people dead and six injured on the Las Vegas Strip is able to stand trial following a two-year stay in a hospital.

Yoni BarriosYoni Barrios, pictured above in a Las Vegas courtroom. He s now competent to stand trial for a stabbing spree. (Image: KSNV)

, 34, is scheduled to appear in Las Vegas court on Monday after he was indicted last week on 15 counts for the October 6, 2022 attacks.

A Clark County grand jury added a terrorism charge against Barrios, who’s also facing two counts of murder, as well as battery and attempted murder charges, according to Las Vegas TV station KSNV.

Barrios Received Treatment

Last week, Clark County District Court Judge Christy Craig ruled that Barrios is now to stand trial after receiving treatment at a Nevada psychiatric hospital.

Based on the judge’s ruling, Craig concluded that Barrios now understands the charges against him and can assist lawyers in his defense.

The incident began when Barrios went up to street performers appearing to be . He asked them to pose with him for a photo while he was holding a foot-long kitchen knife near the Wynn Las Vegas. They refused to take a picture.

But he believed them to be making fun of him, and he became angry. He allegedly stabbed two of the performers. He then allegedly stabbed six other people on Las Vegas Boulevard.

Brent Allan Hallett, 47, of Canada, and Maris Mareen DiGiovanni, 30, of Las Vegas, both died from their wounds.

During a court appearance on Friday, Clark County Chief Deputy District Attorney John Giordani said Barrios chose whom to stab “indiscriminately,” according to Las Vegas TV station KLAS.

The surviving victims of the attack later said the women weren’t laughing at him, but were frightened of the situation, according to news reports.

Barrios was apprehended by Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) officers after the attacks. He told the police he was residing in California, and was trying to sell knives to earn enough money so he could travel back home, according to KLAS.

Shortly before the , Barrios attempted to get a janitor’s job at the Wynn Las Vegas, KLAS reported.

After the stabbing spree, he tossed the blood-covered knife into some bushes, police said.

It was reported by the New York Post that Barrios had worked previously as a stripper. He also was identified as an illegal immigrant into the U.S. from Guatemala, the Post reported.

Crime Spree Got Attention

The deadly incident received national attention.

On October 8, 2023, during a well-attended campaign rally in Minden, Nev., Donald Trump called Barrios a “sadistic murderer” who went on a “heinous” stabbing spree.

“The perpetrator was an illegal alien with a criminal record a mile long in California,” Trump added. “But the bloodthirsty killer was unknown to law enforcement because of California’s barbaric sanctuary city policies.”

Article Sources
Oregon Lottery Director Tells Board Profitability for Sports Betting Will ‘Take Time’ as Officials Seek to Improve Operations editorial policy.
  1. ‘Brand USA’ Nevada Tourism Program in Peril, Claims State’s Lieutenant Governor

Compare Accounts
×
Georgia Sports Betting Bill Skips Constitutional Amendment
Provider
Name
Description
Wynn Las Vegas Revamping Tower Suites  Culinary Union Strike Threatened Friday, Negotiations Continue  Mohegan Sun Tops USA Today ‘Best Casino Hotel’ List, Connecticut Rival Foxwoods No. 9  Las Vegas Raiders Largest Super Bowl Liability in Nevada, as Week 1 Kicks Off  Rhode Island Man Allegedly Left Three-Year-Old Autistic Son Unattended in Cold Car at Twin River Casino  Sports Betting Tech Could Play Role in Montana’s TikTok Ban  Final Four Odds from DraftKings Show Michigan St., Kentucky Favored to Make Atlanta Next April  ‘Brand USA’ Nevada Tourism Program in Peril, Claims State’s Lieutenant Governor  BetMGM Hindered Deal with DrafKings, Says Entain CEO Nygaard-Andersen  Decision 2020: Biden Wins in SC, Two Drop Out, But Sanders Still Favorite as Democratic Presidential Nominee