Teens, charged in death of girl’s father, appear in Las Vegas court

Sierra Halseth, 16, and her 18-year-old boyfriend, Aaron Guerrero, stood before Justice of the Peace William Jansen. Halseth was shackled in a light blue jumpsuit, and Guerrero stood in his dark jail clothing on the opposite side of the courtroom.

The body of 45-year-old Daniel Halseth was found badly burned April 9 in the garage of his northwest Las Vegas home, near Durango and Alta drives. The Clark County coroner’s office ruled his death a homicide due to “sharp force injuries.”

Sierra Halseth and Guerrero were arrested a week after the killing in Salt Lake City, Las Vegas police said. They later were extradited to Nevada.

The couple dated from June to December but were kept from seeing each other after their parents learned they planned to run away to Los Angeles, according to court documents.

Sierra Halseth and her two older siblings also were at the center of a bitter custody battle between Daniel Halseth and his first ex-wife, former state Sen. Elizabeth Halseth, who remarried and now goes by the name Elizabeth Helgelien.

In August, Daniel Halseth was ordered to return Sierra to her mother’s custody after a judge found that he was in violation of their agreement, records show.

The day before Daniel Halseth’s body was found, Guerrero ran away from home and the teenagers purchased a circular saw, saw blades, bleach, lighter fluid, disposable gloves and drop cloth from stores near the victim’s home, according to police reports.

Daniel Halseth’s mother, Christine, told police that after he went missing, his second ex-wife, Bogdana Halseth, notified her that she had detected suspicious activity on a bank account the two shared.

Sierra Halseth and Guerrero remained in custody without bail.

A status check was set for May 12.

Contact Briana Erickson at berickson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5244. Follow @ByBrianaE on Twitter.