LAS VEGAS (AP) — A Nevada jury decided Thursday that a man should serve life in state prison with no chance of parole for breaking into a room at a Las Vegas Strip hotel-casino and killing two Vietnamese tour leaders in 2018.
Julius Damiano Deangilo Trotter, 37, was spared a death sentence by the same state court jury that found him guilty on Tuesday of murder, burglary and robbery in the stabbings of Sang Boi Nghia and Khoung Ba Le Nguyen at the Circus Circus hotel.
Defense attorney Lisa Rasmussen said afterward that Trotter and his legal team appreciated the jury decision, but that Trotter will appeal his conviction and sentence “as a normal part of the criminal justice system.”
“I think everyone is grateful that Mr. Trotter was given a life sentence," Rasmussen told The Associated Press. “The jury took the death penalty off the table themselves.”
Jurors issued their decision after testimony from Trotter, his relatives and family members of Nghia and Nguyen, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. Trotter was seen mouthing “thank you” to the jury after the verdict was read, the newspaper reported. Clark County District Court Judge Michelle Leavitt scheduled Trotter's sentencing Jan. 15. He remains jailed in Las Vegas.
Trotter told jurors on Wednesday that he wanted to be “a positive impact on the people around me, as far as my family, my kids, my mother, my brother and sisters, and so on.”
Nghia, 38, was a mother of three who operated a tour business with her husband in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Nguyen, 30, was one of her employees. Their bodies were found after they did not show up for a tour group trip.
Police said hotel employees later determined the room lock didn’t secure properly, and said it appeared Trotter found it unlocked while walking the hotel hallway and trying door handles.
Trotter was arrested about a week after the killings with his girlfriend, Itaska Dean, following a police chase in Chino, California.
Rasmussen acknowledged that Trotter had a prior criminal record — he was serving five years’ probation at the time of the killings after a felony conviction for resisting a police officer with a weapon. But the attorney said Trotter also had the support of a loving family.
Dean pleaded guilty in California to evading arrest. She was not charged with a crime in the slayings of Nghia and Nguyen, and testified during Trotter's trial.
Trotter also testified, denying he killed Nghia and Nguyen. But police and prosecutors said he was found with items belonging to Nghia and Nguyen including a purse, wallets, a cellphone, jewelry and Vietnamese cash.
The last person put to death in Nevada prison was Daryl Mack in April 2006, for a 1988 rape and murder in Reno. Mack asked for his lethal injection to be carried out.
FILE - Bong Le, mother of a stabbing victim Khuong Nguyen, reacts to the guilty verdict in defendant Julius Trotter's murder trial, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas. Comforting Le is Hung Quang Nguyen, husband of a stabbing victim Sang Nghia, second left, and Tuan Trinh. At rear is interpreter Jimmy Tong Nguyen. Trotter was sentenced Thursday, Oct. 31, to serve life in state prison with no chance of parole. (K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP)
FILE - Defendant Julius Trotter, a previously convicted felon who is charged with breaking into a room at a Las Vegas Strip hotel-casino and robbing and killing two Vietnamese tour leaders in June 2018, waits in the courtroom for the verdict in his murder trial, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas. Trotter was sentenced Thursday, Oct. 31, to serve life in state prison with no chance of parole. (K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP, File)
Bong Le, mother of a stabbing victim Khuong Nguyen, reacts to the guilty verdict in defendant Julius Trotter's murder trial, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas. Comforting Le is Hung Quang Nguyen, husband of a stabbing victim Sang Nghia, second left, and Tuan Trinh. At rear is interpreter Jimmy Tong Nguyen. ( (K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP)
Defendant Julius Trotter, a previously convicted felon who is charged with breaking into a room at a Las Vegas Strip hotel-casino and robbing and killing two Vietnamese tour leaders in June 2018, waits in the courtroom for the verdict in his murder trial, Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas. (K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP)
PARIS (AP) — Frenchman Ugo Humbert harnessed the energy of the home crowd and produced one of his best career performances in beating Carlos Alcaraz 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 to reach the quarterfinals of the Paris Masters on Thursday.
A flurry of forehand and backhand winners had Alcaraz 5-0 down in a first set so one-sided that Alcaraz — a four-time Grand Slam winner — ironically waved his racket and grinned to the crowd after holding in the sixth game.
“There were some incredible points, I think I have just experienced one of my greatest moments on a tennis court," Humbert said. "I don't want it to end here."
The second-seeded Alcaraz controlled the second set but, after missing chances during the third set, served to stay in the match. The crowd jeered a replayed point but Alcaraz was unperturbed and held comfortably for 5-5.
Sensing a big upset, Humbert got the Bercy Arena crowd going in the next game.
The 26-year-old left-hander looked like he was about to do a lap of honor after a brilliant forehand pass down the line at full stretch and earned ovations following a superb angled volley and a booming winner that flew past his Spanish opponent.
“I have to congratulate Ugo. His performance has been really high,” Alcaraz said. “The way he hits the ball is unbelievable.”
Alcaraz said Hubert deserved victory, but added that the unusually high speed of the court made it more difficult for him — especially with the low trajectory of Humbert's shots.
“The stats came out that this is the fastest court in the Masters 1000, probably on the tour,” the 21-year-old Spaniard said. “For example, the Davis Cup indoor court (was) way slower."
A rattled-looking Alcaraz trailed 0-30 in the 12th game. Umpire Richard Haigh intervened to calm the crowd, urging them not to cheer when Alcaraz made a fault on serve and then said in English “Guys, you're affecting both players.”
Serving again to stay in the match at 15-40, Alcaraz saved one match point but returned long on the next as the 15th-seeded Humbert set up a last-eight contest with Australian Jordan Thompson.
Eighth-seeded Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov beat Arthur Rinderknech 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (5) to have an outside chance of reaching the season-ending ATP Finals. Dimitrov, who served 17 aces, needs to reach Sunday's final and next faces 2018 champion Karen Khachanov.
Earlier, Alexander Zverev silenced the raucous home crowd, beating French prospect Arthur Fils 6-4, 3-6, 6-3.
The third-seeded German compiled 16 aces compared to nine for the 20-year-old Fils in their first indoor meeting.
“I am happy I hung in there today,” Zverev said. “He is a great player and has improved a lot this year. I am looking forward to the next few battles we are going to have.”
Zverev, the French Open runner-up, saved three break points in serving for the match at 5-3.
“The atmosphere here is a lot louder than at Roland Garros,” the 27-year-old Zverev said. “The crowd is on top of you.”
He next plays 10th-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas in their 16th career meeting, with Tsitsipas 10-5 up.
The big-serving Greek earlier rallied to beat Francisco Cerundolo 6-7 (1), 6-4, 6-2 to stay in contention to qualify for next month’s Finals in Turin, the year-end tournament gathering the season's top eight players.
Although Tsitsipas hit nine aces and saved all three break points, he converted only three of his 11 break-point chances.
In other third-round matches, ninth-seeded Alex De Minaur kept up his chances of reaching the Finals with a 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 victory against Britain's Jack Draper, the U.S. Open semifinalist, and 2022 champion Holger Rune edged out lucky loser Arthur Cazaux 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Khachanov won 7-6 (5), 6-4 against Alexei Popyrin and Thompson advanced to the first Masters quarterfinal of his career by beating veteran Adrian Mannarino 7-5, 7-6 (5).
Top-ranked Jannik Sinner pulled out of the Paris Masters as did the record seven-time champion Djokovic.
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
France's Arthur Fils returns the ball to Germany's Alexander Zverev during their third round match of the Paris Masters tennis tournament at the Accor Arena, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Germany's Alexander Zverev returns the ball to France's Arthur Fils during their third round match of the Paris Masters tennis tournament at the Accor Arena, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Germany's Alexander Zverev celebrates after defeating France's Arthur Fils in third round match of the Paris Masters tennis tournament at the Accor Arena, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
France's Ugo Humbert backhands to Spain's Carlos Alcaraz during their third round match of the Paris Masters tennis tournament at the Accor Arena, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
France's Ugo Humbert returns the ball to Spain's Carlos Alcaraz during their third round match at the Paris Masters tennis tournament at the Accor Arena, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz slams a forehand to France's Ugo Humbert during their third round match of the Paris Masters tennis tournament at the Accor Arena, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
France's Ugo Humbert clenches his fist after winning a point as he plays Spain's Carlos Alcaraz during their third round match of the Paris Masters tennis tournament at the Accor Arena, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz reacts as he plays France's Ugo Humbert during their third round match of the Paris Masters tennis tournament at the Accor Arena, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz reacts as he plays France's Ugo Humbert in a third round match at the Paris Masters tennis tournament at the Accor Arena, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
France's Ugo Humbert celebrates after defeating Spain's Carlos Alcaraz during their third round match at the Paris Masters tennis tournament at the Accor Arena, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
