Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

crime:

Police identify inmate found dead in jail cell

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Armando Munoz-Ornelas

An inmate at the North Las Vegas Detention Center found dead and bloodied in his cell Thursday has been identified as Sergio Hugo Morales-Paredes, the Clark County Coroner's office said today.

Morales-Paredes, 31, was found at about 2:33 a.m. Thursday under a mattress in his cell bleeding from the face and not breathing, police said.

Armando Munoz-Ornelas, 25, the victim's cellmate -- who was in jail on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer -- has been charged with murder in connection with Morales-Paredes' death.

Munoz-Ornelas had been in custody since Tuesday. He is no longer in ICE custody because North Las Vegas Police are investigating the slaying, ICE spokeswoman Virginia Kice said.

"As long as he's in local custody, the deportation process will not go forward," she said. ICE will again become involved after the murder case is adjudicated, she said.

The North Las Vegas Detention Center contracts with other agencies -- including the federal government -- to house prisoners, police spokeswoman Chrissie Coon said. She couldn't give an exact number of ICE inmates who were at the jail on Wednesday, but said 892 total prisoners were in custody at the time of the death.

The North Las Vegas Detention center houses both male and female inmates.

The victim had been in jail since March 16 on two misdemeanor charges: one for trespassing and one for loitering where children congregate, Coon said.

He was unaccounted for during routine checks, which prompted an investigation and the discovery of his body.

The cause of his death hasn’t been released by the coroner.

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