Las Vegas Man Convicted in 2013 Drug Deal Murder

A Las Vegas man has been convicted in a bloody 2013 drug deal gone wrong that ended with a man shot seven times in the chest and left to die in a North Las Vegas apartment. Louis Matthews, 37, was found guilty Tuesday by a federal jury on charges including conspiracy to possess marijuana with intent to distribute and using a firearm during a drug trafficking crime resulting in death.

The fatal encounter unfolded when Matthews and co-defendant John Thomas arrived at the apartment to purchase 20 pounds of marijuana from Angel Juarez, Julio Nunez, and Luciano Madrigal-Herrera. What was supposed to be a routine narcotics exchange erupted into violence when Matthews and Thomas pulled handguns, opened fire, and executed Madrigal-Herrera, seizing the drugs in a brutal heist.

As the two fled, Nunez grabbed a shotgun and gave chase, hitting Thomas in the shoulder and forcing the pair to drop the stolen marijuana. All four men scattered from the scene, leaving behind shell casings and a corpse—but not for long. A joint investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the North Las Vegas Police Department eventually unraveled the chain of events and led to arrests.

Thomas, Nunez, and Juarez have already been sentenced to federal prison on charges tied to the homicide. Matthews, however, evaded conviction the longest. After a seven-day trial presided over by U.S. District Judge Andrew P. Gordon, the jury delivered a guilty verdict, closing the final chapter in a case that had lingered for nearly six years.

Matthews is no stranger to the criminal justice system. His rap sheet includes prior felony convictions for Possession of a Controlled Substance in 2001, Bribing or Intimidating a Witness in 2004, two additional drug charges in 2005, and Battery with Substantial Bodily Harm in 2015. He had been released from federal custody less than a month before the murder on November 30, 2013. He also faces a history of violent arrests, including three for murder and attempted murder with a deadly weapon and one for discharging a firearm.

Now facing a maximum sentence of life in prison, Matthews will be sentenced on August 1, 2019. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexandra Michael and Steven Myhre, who emphasized the premeditated nature of the crime and Matthews’ long trail of violent behavior. The conviction marks a grim end to a case rooted in greed, betrayal, and gunfire in the shadows of Las Vegas’ streets.

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