Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

2nd-degree murder conviction in Tahoe casino killing

STATELINE — A Douglas County jury has convicted a 45-year-old man of second-degree murder in the killing of another man at a Lake Tahoe hotel-casino that he claimed was self-defense.

The Record-Courier reports the jury deliberated for six hours before returning the guilty verdict for Jose Rodriguez-Quezada at about 11:30 p.m. Friday.

The jury determined he did not act with premeditation, which is required for first-degree murder. It found him guilty instead of second-degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon in the October 2017 stabbing of Kevin Edwards at the Hard Rock Hotel in Stateline.

Prosecutors said Edwards had been stabbed or slashed 30 times. They said Rodriguez-Quezada is in the country illegally and faces deportation once he completes a prison sentence that could range from 25 years to life in prison.

His sentencing is set for Aug. 26.