Associated Press
LAS VEGAS — A suspect in the Harrah’s hotel-casino shooting death of a Maui woman has been returned to face charges.
Michael Adam Frimmel, 31, who was arrested in New Jersey after mistakenly being released from the Clark County jail, appeared before District Judge Michael Cherry on murder charges yesterday.
Frimmel, whose arraignment is set for Tuesday, and Stephen Mullen Jr., 32, have been indicted in the Sept. 8 death of Heather Vitarelli at the Strip hotel-casino. They each face charges of murder with use of a deadly weapon and 19 other counts.
Police said Mullen fired his gun while security officers were trying to detain him and Frimmel in connection with several recent thefts inside the casino.
Vitarelli, 29, was struck in the back and killed.
A security guard was shot in the stomach. He later recovered.
Mullen immediately was charged with murder, but Frimmel was charged only in fraud-related cases. As a result, Justice of the Peace James Bixler didn’t know about the murder case and ordered Frimmel’s release when the district attorney’s office failed to file a criminal complaint on his fraud cases within the deadline.
Frimmel was arrested in Ventnor City, N.J., a few days later after formal murder charges were filed against him and a warrant was issued.
[back to top] |
