Closing arguments heard in retrial of fatal 2007 bombing at Luxor

The execution limb was concealed successful thing arsenic innocuous arsenic a integrative foam java cup.

“This was a weaponry with a capable capable explosion, designed to kill,” Deputy District Attorney Eckley Keach said arsenic helium held a akin cupful and showed jurors the instrumentality inside. “And that’s what it did.”

Attorneys presented closing arguments Thursday successful the retrial for Omar Rueda-Denvers, whom prosecutors accidental conspired to physique a metallic tube weaponry to termination his ex-girlfriend and her caller lover.

Willebaldo Dorantes Antonio, 27, died successful the detonation erstwhile helium unwittingly picked up the weaponry atop his car aft his displacement astatine the Luxor. Caren Chali, the parent of Rueda-Denvers’ then-3-year-old daughter, was miraculously unhurt successful the blast.

The 2007 sidesplitting initially stoked fears of a imaginable violent onslaught connected the Strip, but investigators rapidly zeroed successful connected 2 suspects.

Rueda-Denvers, present 45, and his person Porfirio Duarte-Herrera were recovered blameworthy and sentenced to beingness successful situation without parole. Prosecutors initially sought the decease penalty.

In 2019, a national justice granted Rueda-Denvers a caller trial, ruling that helium was incapable to cross-examine his co-defendant, whose incriminating statements to constabulary were presented to the jury.

The retrial began past month and was halted aft a juror tested affirmative for COVID-19. It resumed Monday.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Christopher Hamner connected Thursday called the execution “the oldest motive successful the book.”

“He is simply a jealous ex-lover,” helium said, pointing astatine the defendant. “The transportation to each of this evidence, each of these people, is this guy. Omar Rueda-Denvers.”

‘He didn’t person his fingers’

On Thursday, Rueda-Denvers sat successful tribunal wearing a grey suit. A Guatemala native, helium listened to the duration of the proceedings with the assistance of a Spanish interpreter.

Prosecutors painted him arsenic a jealous ex-lover who was obsessed with Chali and erstwhile watched from a region arsenic Chali and Antonio had enactment successful a car successful the Luxor parking lot.

Chali testified that she met Rueda-Denvers, who is besides known arsenic Alexander Perez, successful Guatemala successful 2001 and became large with his child. The narration continued until 2006.

She came to the U.S. to beryllium with Rueda-Denvers, who soon told her to determination retired due to the fact that helium had different girlfriend. She said she had nary friends oregon household successful the state and was upset and jealous, but moved connected and began dating Antonio, a Mexican nationalist who worked 2 jobs to nonstop wealth home.

Antonio’s woman and 1-year-old lad had moved to Las Vegas soon earlier his death, relatives antecedently told the Review-Journal.

Chali said that successful August 2006, Rueda-Denvers — a sanction authorities judge is an alias and really belongs to an acquaintance of his — began coming to her workplace and asking her to travel backmost to him.

Jurors watched surveillance video that showed a metallic Chevrolet Cobalt thrust astir the rooftop and parkland adjacent to Antonio’s vehicle. Another black-and-white surveillance video showing Antonio and Chali walking arm-in-arm to the parking garage.

Seconds later, video showed a astir panoramic presumption of the extortion of the parking garage. It was dark. Vehicles were parked each around. In the apical close corner, 2 radical were astir to participate a car.

A daze of achromatic flashed successful the precocious close country of the video.

Chali told jurors that Antonio joked that idiosyncratic had near java for the mates earlier helium picked it up. Seconds later, it exploded and sent shrapnel flying into his skull.

“On his hand, helium didn’t person his fingers,” she said done a Spanish interpreter.

Custody quality defense

Prosecutors argued that the suspect was the lone idiosyncratic who knew some victims and their enactment schedules and had admitted to driving to the Luxor parking store that night.

Though weaponry materials were recovered astatine Duarte-Herrera’s house, the aforesaid benignant of Eveready artillery utilized to ignite the weaponry was recovered successful Rueda-Denvers’ enactment shed.

But Rueda-Denvers’ attorney, Christopher Oram, argued that Duarte-Herrera was a “weirdo” who had a past of weaponry making.

His lawsuit had lone worked successful that shed for a month, and the weaponry was made 3 months before, helium said.

Oram, who besides represented Rueda-Denvers astatine the archetypal trial, said his lawsuit followed Chali due to the fact that she was keeping his girl distant from him. Rueda-Denvers is undocumented and felt helium had fewer ineligible options.

“He can’t spell to divorcement court, truthful helium thinks this volition beryllium my way,” Oram said.

That night, helium was nether the content they were leaving a GPS tracking instrumentality connected the car, Oram said. He told constabulary helium would person stopped his person if helium knew it was a bomb.

He didn’t archer constabulary that helium thought it was a tracking instrumentality due to the fact that helium thought they were tricking him, Oram said.

“An guiltless antheral died, and that’s the existent tragedy,” Oram told the assemblage arsenic helium walked implicit to his client, who is 5 feet, 5 inches tall. “I would inquire you that you find this innocent, beaten down, small antheral not guilty.”

Contact Briana Erickson astatine berickson@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-387-5244. Follow @ByBrianaE connected Twitter.