Lawsuit filed against woman accused of killing North Las Vegas pastor
The wife of a North Las Vegas pastor who was killed late last year is suing the neighbor accused of fatally shooting him in front of their own home.
Police said a neighborhood dispute escalated when Joe Junio, 36, shot 46-year-old Nicholas Davi and his wife, Sarah Davi, on Dec. 29 in a condominium complex near Deer Springs and Aviary ways.
Nicholas Davi, a pastor at Grace Point Church, died at University Medical Center, and his wife suffered “severe physical injuries” and “extreme emotional distress,” according to a lawsuit she filed Friday.
According to an arrest report, Nicholas and Sarah Davi had contacted their homeowners association about Junio for “violations in relation to chickens and dogs,” but in the weeks leading up to the shooting, Junio was “engaging in escalating threatening behavior.” The couple called police twice in December about Junio, the report said.
In one instance, Junio allegedly threw rocks into her neighbor’s yard and “ran her finger across her throat in a cutting motion and told them they were next,” police said. She was also accused of throwing a large amount of dog feces and flooding Nicholas and Sarah Davi’s home. The couple had filed a restraining order, moved out of the home and had been sleeping elsewhere before the killing, police said.
According to the lawsuit, Nicholas Davi was speaking to Junio outside their homes on Dec. 29 while Junio was in her vehicle. Junio “suddenly opened the door of her vehicle” and shot both Nicolas and Sarah Davi, while their children were watching from the couple’s vehicle, the suit said. The children recorded the confrontation and shooting on a cellphone, police have said.
“As a result of Defendant’s actions, Grace Point Church and North Las Vegas lost a valuable member of the community, and a family lost their husband and father,” attorneys James Urrutia and Andrew Barton wrote in the lawsuit. “This suit seeks to hold all those responsible civilly accountable for their actions.”
Sarah Davi’s attorneys declined to comment on the case.
Junio has been charged with murder, attempted murder, battery child abuse and a weapons charge. She remains in the Clark County Detention Center with a $300,000 bail, court records show. Her attorney, Ozzie Fumo, declined to comment on the criminal or civil case.
The lawsuit alleged that Junio did not legally possess the gun she used to shoot Nicholas and Sarah Davi, but the lawsuit did not name who the firearm’s owner might be.
“Upon information and belief, Defendant Joe did not have a license or permit to carry a firearm,” according to the lawsuit.
With punitive and general damages, the lawsuit is seeking damages including medical expenses, lost earnings and “grief, sorrow, loss of probable support, companionship, society, comfort, consortium, and damages for pain, suffering or disfigurement.”
The complaint also alleges that the condominium’s homeowners association was told about the complaints made against Junio and that the association “knew or should have known that Defendant would likely perform violent actions” against Nicholas and Sarah Davi.
The lawsuit did not name the homeowners association or the condominium complex.
Junio is set to appear March 4 in North Las Vegas Justice Court for a preliminary hearing in the criminal case, court records show.
Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240.