Man pleads guilty but mentally ill to 3 shooting deaths

A 37-year-old man has pleaded guilty to a spree of fatal shootings in 2021 that left three people dead on Labor Day.

Tristan Tidwell was accused of fatally shooting three men within a span of two hours on Sept. 6, 2021, near Cheyenne Avenue and Civic Center Drive in North Las Vegas. Tidwell pleaded guilty but mentally ill on Thursday to three counts of murder with a deadly weapon, court records show.

As part of the guilty plea, prosecutors will not seek the death penalty, according to the court filing. Tidwell also agreed to three sentences of life without the possibility of parole, although a judge will have the final say on the sentence.

Tidwell was ruled competent to face the charges following mental health evaluations with state psychiatrists and an independent evaluator, according to court records.

His public defenders did not immediately reply to request for comment on Tuesday.

When police detained Tidwell the night of the killings, he told officers that he was homeless and believe the men he shot were also homeless, according to an arrest report. He was also accused of shooting a dog in the area.

After police asked if he felt the shootings were justified, Tidwell told police: “Oh no. It’s wrong. It’s against the law. But it had to be done.”

He told police he had to “put down” the men, and said that “anything without a home gets terminated,” according to his arrest report.

Those who knew the men said at least two of the victims were not homeless, but were simply going for a walk.

Jorge Godoy-Lua, 43, died of gunshot wounds to the back, Oliver Hillman, 53, died of a gunshot wound to the neck, and Michael Myers, 27, died of a gunshot wound to the back shoulder area, according to the Clark County coroner’s office.

Myers was killed minutes from his home, shortly after leaving to get snacks for his four children, his wife, Desiree Robinson, previously told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Myers, who was called “Mike Mike” by loved ones, was described as a hardworking man who loved cats and music.

Godoy-Lua had two teenage children and immigrated from Mexico to work toward a better life for his family, his niece has said. His neighbor previously told the Review-Journal that Godoy-Lua loved going on walks and took pride in his job working in roofing.

A sentencing hearing for Tidwell is scheduled for March 10, court records show. He remained in the Clark County Detention Center on Tuesday without bail.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.