Jury convicts man in retrial of fatal 2007 Luxor bombing

A 45-year-old antheral was recovered blameworthy Friday successful the 2007 fatal bombing atop the Luxor parking garage.

Prosecutors said successful a retrial for Omar Rueda-Denvers that helium conspired to physique a metallic tube weaponry to termination his ex-girlfriend and her caller lover.

Jurors took astir 5 hours Friday to convict him of murder, attempted murder, possession of an explosive oregon incendiary instrumentality and proscription oregon receipt of explosives.

Prosecutors Christopher Hamner and Eckley Keach said the verdict was appropriate.

“What this antheral did to these radical and adjacent the metropolis was terrifying,” Hamner said. “We’re gladsome that erstwhile again he’s being held accountable for what helium did, which was cold-blooded murder.”

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 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 period and was halted aft a juror tested affirmative for COVID-19, earlier resuming connected Monday.

Prosecutors painted Rueda-Denvers 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.

But defence lawyer Christopher Oram, who besides represented Rueda-Denvers astatine the archetypal trial, said helium followed Chali due to the fact that she was keeping his girl distant from 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 showed Antonio and Chali walking arm-in-arm to the parking garage.

The video showed a astir panoramic presumption of the extortion of the darkened parking garage, crowded with vehicles.

As 2 radical were astir to participate a car, a flash burst connected the screen.

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 said helium planned to entreaty Friday’s verdict.

Contact David Ferrara astatine dferrara@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-380-1039. Follow @randompoker connected Twitter.