Man charged with murder in bat attack at Las Vegas bus stop
A Las Vegas man has been charged with murder in the fatal beating of a man at a bus stop in the central Las Vegas Valley.
Court records show Walther Pina, 23, also faces charges of robbery and conspiracy in the April 11 attack on Cornell Black, 32, of North Las Vegas. A Las Vegas police arrest report for Pina indicates Black died five days after he was assaulted by two men wielding baseball bats.
Police said in Pina’s arrest report that Black was found unconscious at the intersection of Twain Avenue and University Center Drive at 8:34 p.m. He was hospitalized at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center in critical condition, but he was able to tell police what happened.
Police said Black told them he was talking to a woman at the bus stop when an argument broke out with a man. The man ripped a chain off Black’s neck and stole his wallet, then two acquaintances of the assailant showed up with baseball bats. The two men repeatedly struck him in the head with the bats.
Days after the interview,police said Black left the hospital against medical advice. He eventually returned and died there on April 16, police said. The Clark County coroner’s office said Wednesday that Black’s cause of death was blunt force injuries to the head. His manner of death was homicide.
Police said Pina was arrested based on witnesses who said they observed “Walther” taking part in the attack. An attorney representing Pina could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon.
In the arrest report, Pina was also identified by police as Walther Pina-Freijo. A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for May 12 in Las Vegas Justice Court.
Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.
