By Ken Ritter
Associated Press
LAS VEGAS — A homicide suspect who broke his handcuffs and escaped from a Las Vegas-area police station in September has been charged with a second killing, and police have identified him as the lone suspect in a third.
Alonso Perez’s court-appointed attorney, Clark Patrick, declined Monday to comment about those cases and several others pending against Perez in local and state courts in Las Vegas.
Patrick said he’s investigating the allegations, and that Perez plans to fight the charges against him.
Perez, 25, who according to court records also uses the name Alfonso Perez, has been jailed since his recapture in September after a four-day manhunt. His bail is currently more than $1.7 million.
He escaped Sept. 2 from North Las Vegas police after twisting the hinge of handcuffs hooked from his right wrist to a fixed metal bar and then climbing into the ceiling of a police station interview room, according to video made public by police.
He faces a Jan. 23 hearing on multiple felony charges including murder and escape in the Aug. 27 shooting death of Mohammed Robinson, 31, at a local fast-food restaurant, and the escape from the police station.
Just hours after Robinson was killed, Perez fatally shot motorcycle rider Jeffrey Johnson, 50, in a neighborhood confrontation that a police report said developed after Johnson spotted Perez in a friend’s backyard.
Perez was charged Nov. 14 with murder in that case, and faces a court hearing Jan. 27. He also faces a preliminary hearing Jan. 30 on attempted murder, assault and firearm charges in a separate shooting case.
Las Vegas police homicide Lt. Dan McGrath said Johnson was still wearing his motorcycle helmet when he was shot in the head. Johnson died Sept. 10.
Bullet casings found where Johnson was shot matched casings found where Robinson was shot, the police report said, and casings with similar markings also were found at the scene of the Aug. 20 slaying of Candelario Duran, 37.
Similar casings were found near the scene of another shooting on Aug. 15, the report said.
Perez hasn’t been charged in the Duran slaying, which McGrath said is still being investigated.
McGrath said investigators haven’t found a motive linking the deadly spate of shootings. He said they appeared to amount to separate outbursts by a man with gang ties and a drug habit who was quick to resort to deadly violence when confronted.
“Somebody says something, and the next thing you know there’s a gun and shots are being fired,” McGrath said.