Las Vegas man arrested in fatal stabbing of ex-girlfriend
A Las Vegas man has been arrested in the fatal stabbing of his ex-girlfriend, who was killed Friday outside a convenience store in the west valley.
Mark Wayne Meade, 41, was booked Monday at the Clark County Detention Center on a single count of murder with a deadly weapon.
A Las Vegas police arrest report indicates that he is charged in the killing of his ex-girlfriend, Kathy Blanco, 30, of Las Vegas. The stabbing occurred near the intersection of Westcliff and South Buffalo drives.
The arrest report for Meade states that Blanco and Meade dated for about three years. The couple also recently had a child together. Police said Blanco was breaking up with Meade, however, and Meade “was not receptive to the decision.”
On Friday, the two agreed to meet at a convenience store for an exchange of property. Blanco’s mother, whose name was blacked out in the arrest report, planned to attend the meeting out of concern for her daughter’s well-being.
Blanco’s mother told police that as she pulled her vehicle up to the meeting spot at about 8:30 p.m., she saw Meade suddenly attack her daughter. At first she thought Meade was punching her daughter, but she then realized he was stabbing her “with a small silver knife,” according to the report.
“(She) said that she saw a lot of blood and grabbed at Mark’s face and used her fingernails to scratch the right side of his face,” police quoted the mother as saying. “Mark then cocked his head and looked directly at (her) and said, ‘It’s over.’”
The mom said she feared Meade would attack her next as she tried to render aid to her daughter, but he left the area on foot.
Blanco died at the scene. Her cause of death was stab wounds to the neck, the Clark County coroner’s office said.
Police said that when they examined the victim’s phone, they found several “hostile” messages from Meade. Meade also had a warrant out for his arrest on a domestic battery charge at the time of the killing, police said.
Meade was scheduled to make an initial appearance Tuesday morning in Las Vegas Justice Court.
Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.
