Las Vegas stabbings: Killer Yoni Barrios held without bail as prosecutors await mental evaluation
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA: Yoni Barrios, arrested and accused of a mass stabbing at the Las Vegas Strip that left two people dead and six injured, was formally charged on Tuesday, October 11, with two counts of murder and six counts of attempted murder. Barrios used a 12-inch knife to attack five women posing as showgirls and a group of tourists. Previously, detectives determined that he is a Guatemalan immigrant and that he went on a stabbing spree so he could let his anger out.
The victims of this stabbing spree in Las Vegas were two showgirls Maris DiGiovanni, 30, and Brent Hallett, 47, who died, and four other Las Vegas showgirls along with two tourists were injured in this mindless rampage. The 32-year-old Guatemalan last appeared in court on Friday, October 7, where the judge decided that he would be held without bail. The decision was carried forward after Tuesday's hearing as well. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Deputy Public Defender Scott Coffee is concerned about whether Barrios is fit for a trial or not. During the arraignment, he said, "To be honest, the questions about competency, I’m not even sure he could answer those questions. In order to move forward with a court proceeding, a person has to be competent to assist counsel. There’s some concerns whether or not Mr. Barrios is competent."
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The preliminary hearing is scheduled for January 12, 2023, and Coffee wants to have a determination about Barrios's ability to stand trial before explaining that he would begin interviews with psychologists shortly. Reflecting on the same, Coffee said, "A person has to be competent to assist council. They have to know the time and place. There’s a fundamental level he has to meet. If there’s a finding that he’s not competent to move forward, he going to be sent to a state facility for evaluation, either Lakes Crossing in Reno or Stein here in Las Vegas. They would try to restore him to competency through medication, any kind of psychological counseling they can give him," as reported by KNTV. The outlet also reported that prosecutors have 30 to 60 days to determine whether to seek the death penalty.
The arrest reports show that Barrios thought the showgirls were laughing at him and making fun of him before he attacked them. Days before the stabbing spree, Barrios reportedly approached photographer Jorge Lopez outside Los Angeles City Hall and begged for any kind of work. Lopez told NBC Los Angeles, "He kept telling me, 'I just want an opportunity, I just want to start from scratch.' It kind of hit me because he reminded me of my son. My son passed at 38 years old, and he had issues similar to his, so I kind of wanted to help him." Daily Mail also pulled out Barrios' criminal records which showed that he should have been behind bars over a felony charge of domestic abuse in 2018. However, the case was eventually dismissed after the Los Angeles District Attorney's office took too long to prosecute it.