Prosecutors seek death penalty against suspect in 2022 Strip stabbings

Prosecutors are pursuing the death penalty against a man accused of a barrage of stabbings on the Strip in 2022 that left two people dead and six others injured.

Yoni Barrios, 34, was indicted in late December on charges including terrorism and murder in connection with the stabbings on Oct. 6, 2022. Barrios is accused of attacking multiple people, including several women posing as showgirls — killing 30-year-old showgirl impersonator Maris DiGiovanni, of Las Vegas, and 47-year-old Brent Hallett, of Alberta, Canada.

Prosecutors on Wednesday filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty against Barrios, who was recently found competent to stand trial after he underwent nearly two years of mental health competency treatment.

Barrios pleaded not guilty to the charges on Thursday morning. Along with terrorism and two counts of murder with a deadly weapon, he faces six counts of attempted murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to commit an act of terrorism and six counts of battery with a deadly weapon resulting in substantial bodily harm with the intent to commit an act of terrorism.

Scott Coffee, Barrios’ public defender, said his client’s mental illness will be a strong mitigating factor if the case makes it to trial.

“The mental illness is a cornerstone to why the death penalty wouldn’t be appropriate,” Coffee said after the hearing.

He said it took two years of therapy and a “variety of medications” for Barrios to be able to assist in his defense and understand the court proceedings.

Coffee told District Judge Tierra Jones that although Barrios is charged with terrorism, there is no evidence that the crime was politically motivated, although Nevada law does not require a political element for a terrorism charge.

Chief Deputy District Attorney John Giordani said that in Nevada, terrorism is an “act of violence intended to cause death to the general population.”

The terrorism charge was cited by prosecutors as an aggravating factor that led to them seeking capital punishment, according to the notice of intent to seek the death penalty. Other aggravating circumstances include the multiple murders Barrios is accused of, and that the killings were committed “without apparent motive.”

According to an arrest report, Barrios told police that he thought the two showgirls were laughing at him and that he began attacking people because he wanted to “let the anger” out. Witnesses told police that Barrios was holding a large knife when he approached the showgirls asking for a photo, and that he said he was a chef. Showgirls who witnessed the attacks have previously disputed that anyone was laughing at Barrios, and said he was not provoked.

The District Court released surveillance video this week showing Barrios attacking the showgirls near a pedestrian bridge outside the Wynn. Showgirl impersonators Victoria Cayetano, then 19, was stabbed in the shoulder and survived, and Anna Westby was wounded from a stab wound to the back.

Barrios then began running down the sidewalk, randomly stabbing people with the knife as he came up to them, the video showed. Hallett was walking down the sidewalk with his wife when he was fatally stabbed.

The video showed Barrios turning onto Sands Avenue, where he appeared to stab another man before he ran into traffic. He ran into the Venetian Expo convention center building, where Barrios immediately dropped to his knees in front of a security guard.

The surveillance footage showed him briefly running when another employee approached before he was detained by security.

Coffee said the video indicates that there was not a lot of “planning and logic” to the stabbings.

“This was a tragic situation and if he was in a right mind I don’t think we would be here,” Coffee said.

Barrios remains in the Clark County Detention Center without bail. He was ordered to appear in court again on Jan. 23.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240.