Posted at 7:53 a.m., Monday, May 14, 2007
Vegas bombing suspect pleads guilty in false ID case
By KEN RITTER
Associated Press
A Las Vegas justice of the peace sentenced Omar Rueda-Denvers to 10 days in jail on the misdemeanor charge, ensuring that he would remain in custody pending an initial appearance on the more serious charges that could get him life in prison if convicted.
Police say a tangle of romantic relationships involving a group of illegal immigrants provided the motive for the early May 7 bombing that that killed 24-year-old Willebaldo Dorantes Antonio.
Police said Dorantes Antonio, a Mexican immigrant, was dating a co-worker from Guatemala — a woman identified as Rueda-Denvers' ex-girlfriend and the mother of Rueda-Denvers' child.
Rueda-Denvers was not represented by a lawyer as he stood with shackles on his wrists and waist, wearing blue jail scrubs, orange socks and slippers. He spoke only to acknowledge through a Spanish-language translator that he understood the charge against him, and to plead guilty.
Police had given Rueda-Denvers' age as 32 but a prosecutor said Rueda-Denvers told authorities he was 31.
He is due back in Las Vegas Justice Court on Tuesday on charges of murder with the use of a deadly weapon, attempted murder with the use of a deadly weapon and possession of an explosive device.
Police arrested Rueda-Denvers on Friday along with 27-year-old Nicaraguan construction worker, Porfirro Duarte Herrera, whom they described as an associate in the bombing plot.
Duarte Herrera was being held on charges of being an alien in possession of a firearm, but was expected to face other charges, authorities said. No court date was immediately set.
Police believe Rueda-Denvers and Duarte Herrera planted a small motion-activated bomb atop Dorantes Antonio's car while he was working an overnight shift at the Nathan's Famous hot dog stand inside the Luxor hotel-casino.
Dorantes Antonio and his girlfriend arrived at the car shortly after 4 a.m., and authorities say that when Dorantes Antonio picked up the device it exploded with the force of a stick of dynamite.
Dorantes Antonio died about two hours later of a head injury. The woman, whom police have not named, escaped injury.
Police have said they considered the woman a target in the bombing, not a suspect. She was being held by federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement authorities, pending deportation to Guatemala.
