Drug dealer gets life sentence in North Las Vegas fatal shooting

A convicted drug dealer was sentenced to life in federal prison Thursday for fatally shooting another man less than a month after being released from prison.

Louis Matthews, 37, was convicted in April of conspiracy to possess marijuana with intent to distribute and using a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime resulting in death. In late 2013, Matthews and his cousin, John Thomas, fatally shot Luciano Madrigal-Herrera at point-blank range inside a North Las Vegas apartment during a drug deal gone bad, prosecutors said in a news release.

At the time of the shooting, Matthews had recently been released from prison after being found guilty of possessing cocaine with the intent to distribute. Matthews has several other felony convictions dating back to 2004.

Prosecutors said he planned the 2013 arrangement to buy 20 pounds of marijuana from Madrigal-Herrera, Angel Juarez, and Julio Nunez.

Madrigal-Herrera suffered seven gunshot wounds to the chest, and Matthews and Thomas then grabbed the marijuana and tried to run away, prosecutors said. Nunez chased after them with a shotgun, shooting Thomas in the back shoulder and causing him to drop the marijuana, the release stated.

Contact David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Follow @randompoker on Twitter.