Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2016 | 12:20 p.m.
Omar Talley
A man accused of fatally shooting two women and critically wounding a man earlier this year near the Las Vegas Strip pleaded not guilty today to five felony charges, including two counts of open murder.
Omar Talley raised his eyebrows and smiled slightly throughout a 15-minute arraignment in Las Vegas Justice Court, as Chief Deputy District Attorney Frank Coumou, defense attorney William Skupa and Judge Jennifer Togliatti discussed Talley’s financial state and set a trial date in November.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Talley, 30, who is in jail without bail.
“There’s no way on God’s green Earth, without a written motion, I’m going to release a murder case on house arrest,” Togliatti said when Skupa requested bail. The judge agreed to consider a written request for bail from Talley’s defense attorney.
Togliatti asked Talley whether he was indigent and determined that he was.
According to Metro Police, Talley shot and killed Melissa Mendoza and Jennifer Chicas, both of San Francisco, in a car-to-car shooting Feb. 19 at the intersection of Harmon and Polaris avenues. Jerraud Jackson, a third person in the car, was wounded, police said.
The shooting followed an earlier argument in a parking garage at the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood, police said.
Talley and Jackson were in a fistfight before leaving the garage, police said in an arrest report. A security video showed the three victims driving away from the parking structure with another car, allegedly driven by Talley, following behind, police said.
After the shooting, which happened about 1:30 a.m., Mendoza, Chicas and Jackson drove to a valet stand at the nearby Cosmopolitan, where the victims called for help, police said.
Talley told investigators following his arrest that he was intoxicated on alcohol and marijuana and didn’t remember what happened, police said.
Talley later said he didn’t shoot the trio and owned only a BB gun, according to police.
Talley is charged with two counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and two counts of illegally discharging a firearm.
Talley’s trial was placed on hold in late June after two doctors deemed him incompetent to stand trail. He was sent to Lake’s Crossing Center in Sparks for further evaluation and treatment.
On Aug. 15, prosecutors announced Talley had returned to the Clark County Detention Center and was mentally fit to stand trial.
“He was just playing games,” Coumou said Tuesday. “He’s very street smart, that’s for sure.”
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy