Two men accused of New Year’s Eve homicides and attempted robberies at Las Vegas Strip properties are still behind bars. The duo appeared in court on Monday, but a judge refused to set bail after reviewing key evidence.
Jesani Carter, 20, and Jordan Ruby, 18, remain at the Clark County Detention Center, and currently are charged on 13 counts, including murder, attempted robbery with a deadly weapon, and conspiracy to commit robbery. The crimes took place at Las Vegas casino parking garages and other nearby locations.
One of the fatal shootings occurred at the Fashion Show Mall. Another murder took place at the Palace Station.
A robbery also took place at the Sahara Las Vegas parking garage. The robber fired a bullet at a worker, but the employee escaped injury.
The duo was also charged in three other recent holdups, including one at the Wynn Las Vegas, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
There is no question that these two defendants are a danger to the community. They admittedly came to town on the busiest weekend of the year to terrorize the community, to terrorize tourists,” Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Harmony said in court Monday before refusing to set bail, according to the Review-Journal.
The two defendants are scheduled to appear again in court on Feb. 10.
Casing, Recording Used Against Defendants
During the hearing, one key piece of evidence was a 9 mm Glock firearm with an extended magazine. A matching casing was recovered at the Sahara.
Other evidence presented in court was a recording where Ruby told an unnamed woman over a phone conversation that “He came to Las Vegas for the purpose of robbing people on New Year’s,” a prosecutor revealed. In addition, several of the robberies were captured on surveillance video.
The shooting and attempted robbery at the Fashion Show Mall led to the death of Clarice Yamaguchi, 66, of Hawaii. One of the robbers tried to steal her purse. But a gun went off when the victim’s husband tried to subdue the robber. She died at University Medical Center.
The Palace Station shooting led to the death of Hyo Sup Um, 60. He also passed away at University Medical Center. He suffered a back wound, the Clark County coroner’s office said.
He had been on the casino floor gambling earlier that day. His wallet was missing when officials searched his body.
Carter Claims Innocence
Earlier this month, Carter claimed in an interview with the Review-Journal that Metro cops arrested the “wrong person.” He further claimed to be a “platinum” gambler at a Strip resort, the newspaper reported. He also was convinced he would soon be released from jail.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Strip has seen an uptick in violent crime. Much of it was blamed on gangs and out of town criminals. Following a selective enforcement operation on the Strip, police reported the number of violent incidents declined.
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