Man beaten to death in Las Vegas over $20 debt, report says

Shane Betten was killed because he didn’t have $20, Las Vegas police records show.

Now, two men stand accused in the 37-year-old’s death.

Charles Sullivan, 38, was booked Tuesday into the Clark County Detention Center on charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Co-defendant David Roman Vazquez, 46, was arrested about a month earlier, also on a murder charge, records show.

Betten was pronounced brain-dead Sept. 17 at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, two days after he was found bleeding from the head at a Shell gas station at 4171 Boulder Highway. He had been beaten by two men, witnesses told police. Betten was lying on the ground next to a gas pump when officers arrived, according to an arrest report for both suspects.

The Clark County coroner’s office ruled Betten’s death a homicide by blunt force injuries.

The beating was captured on surveillance, which showed two men approach Betten in the gas station parking lot shortly before 2 p.m. on Sept. 15. Both began punching him “without provocation,” the report said. Betten collapsed, and one of them grabbed Betten by the ankles and dragged him across the parking lot before the two fled the scene.

Witnesses to the beating identified Sullivan and Vazquez as suspects, according to the report. The two were known to frequent the area.

A week later, Vazquez was picked up by Metropolitan Police Department officers on the 2800 block of South Lamb Boulevard, less than a mile from the scene, police said.

In an interview with detectives, Vazquez said the fight was over a $20 debt. When Betten said he didn’t have the money, Vazquez threw the first punch, the report said. Vazquez also admitted to dragging Betten’s body.

His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 8, while Sullivan is due in court Monday morning for a status check, court records show. Both remained in custody at the detention center Thursday.

In August, just over two weeks prior to Betten’s death, another man was killed over a small debt. Richard Gomez, 55, had been shot to death over $10, records show.

Contact Rio Lacanlale at rlacanlale@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @riolacanlale on Twitter.