Police say four killed over $250

"Four people lost their lives over $240," Clark County Deputy District Attorney Gary Guymon said.

The prosecutor also said the prime suspect in the quadruple homicide, Donte Johnson, 19, was apprehended because he bragged of his involvement in the crime.

"There were three witnesses who came forward and indicated that Johnson was bragging about it," Guymon said.

On Aug. 14, the bodies of Las Vegans Jeffrey Charles Biddle, 19, Tracey Gorringe, 20, Matthew David Mowen, 19, and Peter Talamantez, 17, were discovered by an acquaintance in a home near Tropicana Avenue and Nellis Boulevard. The four were tied up with duct tape, then shot execution-style.

Police said the killings were motivated by robbery and drugs and that Johnson knew at least some of the victims. However, they have refused to elaborate, citing an ongoing investigation.

But Guymon said Friday afternoon that the suspect and at least one accomplice went to the home looking for a large amount of money and possibly narcotics.

"They (the killers) believed that there was an awful lot of money at this house and maybe some marijuana as well," Guymon said. "But their focus was the money and not so much the drugs. What they ended up finding was a little bit of controlled substances and $240."

Johnson has maintained his innocence in interviews with two Las Vegas television news stations. During the interviews he said he couldn't have committed the killings because they occurred in the early morning hours, a time when he is usually asleep.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Homicide Sgt. Ken Hefner said detectives believe at least one other person, possibly more, were also involved in the slayings. Police have a limited description of one of the assailants and are trying to confirm the man's identity.

Johnson is charged with four counts each of murder, robbery and kidnapping, all with a deadly weapon, and is currently held at the Clark County Detention Center. Bail is set at $1 million.

Johnson is also charged with attempted murder in connection with an unrelated May shooting that occurred about two blocks west of the Vegas Motel.

He was charged in the Fremont Street shooting after a man shot Derrick Simpson, 40, twice in the face and once in the back. Simpson, who was paralyzed in the attack, identified Johnson as the gunman, police said.

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