Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Arrest report: Trap set for slaying victim

Alleged gang members set a trap that lured jewelry kiosk owner Anthony Limongello to a shopping center, where they robbed him of $40, stole his automated teller card and shot him in the head, according to an arrest report obtained by the Sun.

Aaron Daniels, 20, and Natasha Barker, 19, were arrested Tuesday and charged with Limongello's May 5 murder.

Three of their alleged associates, Tyrone Williams, 16, Steven Perry, 17, and Julius Bradford, 18, were charged with the beating and shooting death of Benito Zambrano Lopez, an immigrant laborer who was attacked while walking to a grocery store June 9.

The arrests marked a victory in the fight Metro Police have been battling with gang members, authorities said.

According to the arrest report, Barker, believed to be a gang associate, allegedly "had set up Limongello for the robbery" by calling an acquaintance, who was also a friend of Limongello's, and saying her boyfriend had abandoned her at Rancho Drive and Washington Avenue.

Limongello's friend "asked Anthony Limongello if they could help Natasha," the arrest report said. "Mr. Limongello agreed, and both he and (the friend) drove to the area."

As Limongello pulled into the parking lot in his black Lincoln Navigator, his friend said she spotted Barker standing with a man, identified as Daniels, a gang member. He quickly jumped into the back of the vehicle and pointed a gun at Limongello.

Limongello's friend said she ran from the vehicle but Barker caught up with her. Barker told her that she and her boyfriend had set up the robbery, according to the arrest report, and police said the crime was committed so the alleged assailants could impress other gang members.

Limongello, who owned a jewelry kiosk selling Italian charm bracelets at the Fashion Show mall, was found dead next to a trash bin.

Daniels and Bradford were caught on surveillance videos withdrawing money at an ATM machine at a 7-Eleven store a few hours later, the document says. Bank records show cash was withdrawn from an AM-PM market nearby. The suspects also tried to use an ATM machine at the Texas Station, but the card had reached its limit, the report says.

About a month later Zambrano Lopez, 48, was walking to his home on Goodwill Street, near Rancho and Vegas drives, from a nearby grocery store when police say he was approached by Williams, Perry and Bradford, who demanded money.

Zambrano Lopez refused and "put up a good fight," Bradford told police. The three assailants kicked and pistol-whipped him, then Williams allegedly shot him in the back, according to the reports. His wallet wasn't taken.

A woman who was pushing her 2-year-old daughter in a stroller witnessed the attack, the report says. Another woman who lives in the area heard the gunshots and looked outside. She saw three men running to a nearby house, then she saw a black Camaro speeding from the residence.

Detectives found the Camaro later that day. The driver told police he had information on the murder of Zambrano Lopez and Limongello, and implicated the five who were later arrested. They had bragged about the crimes, he said.

Associates of the suspects told police that Williams is a "baby gangster" and was trying to work his way up to becoming a "young gangster," the next step in the gang.

Perry is believed to be a "young gangster" and Bradford is a full member of the Los Angeles gang affiliated with the local gang, the report says, because he had "already put his work in for the gang," which means committing crimes to elevate his status.

The friend said he was in the room when Williams bragged: "Ah, big homey, I just did it, homey."

Police served a search warrant at 1121 Tamerack Drive, where some of the suspects lived. They found two bloodstained T-shirts in a pile of clothes in a bedroom, according to the document.

When questioned by detectives, Daniels admitted to being one of the men shown on the convenience store security tape, but he said he obtained Limongello's ATM card from "Jim, a local crack-head he knew from the neighborhood."

Daniels' fingerprints were found inside Limongello's vehicle, the report says.

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