Coroner rules dancer died from asphyxiation; new charges filed

Las Vegas dancer Debora Flores Narvaez died from "asphyxiation due to neck compression," the Clark County coroner's office said Tuesday.

Her death was ruled a homicide.

Las Vegas police discovered the dancer's dismembered body Saturday in two tubs filled with concrete in a downtown Las Vegas home.

Jason "Blu" Griffith, her ex-boyfriend and dancer for the Cirque de Soleil show "Love" at The Mirage, was arrested Saturday and later charged with murder.

Police said Griffith killed Flores Narvaez, 31, a dancer in the Luxor show "Fantasy," in the "heat of the moment" after an argument Dec. 12.

Meanwhile, Griffith appeared Tuesday via a live video feed from the Clark County Detention Center before a North Las Vegas justice of the peace, who read the charges he is facing. According to a criminal complaint, prosecutors have added two new charges against Griffith -- felony battery constituting domestic violence (strangulation) and destroying evidence, a gross misdemeanor.

Griffith, 32, remained in jail with no bail. He will appear before Justice of the Peace Chris Lee in North Las Vegas this morning for a hearing.

Griffith and another man, Louis Colombo, are accused of renting a truck to hide the body. Colombo admitted his involvement to police in exchange for leniency and has not been arrested or charged.

Police will make charging recommendations to prosecutors. The Clark County district attorney's office will decide if charges are appropriate.

Fantasy producer Anita Mann said friends of the slain dancer have scheduled a memorial service at 11 a.m. Friday in the Luxor showroom.