A brutal robbery and murder in Las Vegas in 2013 has ended in a 12-year prison sentence for one of the perpetrators.
On November 30, 2013, John Thomas, 25, and his co-defendant, Louis Matthews, 35, arrived at a North Las Vegas apartment to purchase 20 pounds of marijuana from the victim, Luciano Madrigal-Herrera.
However, the men had other plans and attempted to rob Madrigal-Herrera of the marijuana, producing handguns in the process.
According to admissions in Thomas’s plea agreement, the men repeatedly shot Madrigal-Herrera, resulting in his death.
Thomas and Matthews took the marijuana and attempted to flee with it, but were caught and charged with various crimes related to the murder.
Thomas pleaded guilty on March 1, 2016, to one count of conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with intent to distribute and one count of use of a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime resulting in death.
United States District Judge James C. Mahan sentenced Thomas to 144 months in prison, which is equivalent to 12 years, and five years of supervised release.
Three other co-defendants were also charged in the scheme, including Louis Matthews, who was sentenced to life in prison, Julio Nunez, who was sentenced to 42 months in prison, and Angel Juarez, who was sentenced to time served with one year of supervised release.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, and the North Las Vegas Police Department.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Phillip N. Smith Jr. and Alexandra M. Michael.
Key Facts
- State: Nevada
- Category: Violent Crime|Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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