Man convicted of Circus Circus killings sentenced for robbery, burglary charges
A 37-year-old man convicted of killing two people at Circus Circus in 2018 was sentenced on Wednesday to burglary and robbery charges in connection with the slayings.
In October, a jury found Julius Trotter guilty of two counts of murder with a deadly weapon, two counts of robbery with a deadly weapon and burglary with a deadly weapon in the killings of Vietnamese tourists Sang Nghia and Khuong Nguyen.
Nghia and Nguyen, who worked together at a tour company that Nghia operated with her husband, were fatally stabbed in their hotel room at the Circus Circus on June 1, 2018. Trotter was convicted of killing the coworkers during a “door push,” in which someone attempts to find hotel rooms with doors left open in order to steal belongings.
The jury had previously sentenced Trotter to life in prison without the possibility of parole for both murder counts. But District Judge Michelle Leavitt formally sentenced Trotter on Wednesday for the additional charges.
Leavitt ruled that Trotter will serve the life sentences consecutively, and the murder charges will come with an additional eight to 20 years in prison for the deadly weapon enhancement. He was also sentenced to between six and 15 years in prison for the burglary charge, and six to 15 years in prison for each robbery charges, which also carry an enhancement of a consecutive five to 15 years in prison for the deadly weapon.
Trotter’s sentence for the burglary and robbery charges will all be served at the same time as his life sentences for the murder charges.
Trotter’s attorney, Lisa Rasmussen, argued for the robbery and burglary charges to run concurrent, even though the distinction was mostly “academic,” she told the judge.
Rasmussen said she plans to appeal the conviction.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Michelle Fleck said the robbery and burglary sentences could be left to the discretion of the judge, but she asked for Trotter to serve the murder sentences consecutively.
“I do think that would reflect justice individually for each victim’s loss of life,” she said.
The judge also ordered Trotter to pay more than $25,000 in restitution to the victims’ families, plus $5,000 to the Nevada Victims of Crime program.
Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240.
