LAS VEGAS — A jury in Nevada concluded on Thursday that a man will spend life in prison without the possibility of parole after he was convicted of breaking into a Las Vegas Strip hotel-casino room, where he fatally attacked two Vietnamese tour leaders in 2018.
Julius Damiano Deangilo Trotter, 37, was acquitted of a death sentence by the same jury that found him guilty just two days prior of offenses including murder, burglary, and robbery concerning the stabbings of Sang Boi Nghia and Khoung Ba Le Nguyen at the Circus Circus hotel.
Following the verdict, defense attorney Lisa Rasmussen expressed gratitude towards the jury’s decision, noting that while Trotter’s team respects the ruling, there were plans to appeal the conviction and sentence, which she described as routine within the justice system.
“I think everyone appreciates that Mr. Trotter received a life sentence,” Rasmussen commented. “The jury chose to remove the death penalty as an option themselves.”
The jurors arrived at their decision after hearing testimonies from Trotter, his family members, and the relatives of the victims, as reported by the local media. Witnesses observed Trotter expressing his thanks to the jury after the verdict was announced. Judge Michelle Leavitt set Trotter’s sentencing for January 15, and he remains in custody in Las Vegas.
During his testimony, Trotter communicated his desire to have a “positive impact on the lives of those around me, including my family, children, mother, siblings, and others.”
Nghia, aged 38, was a mother of three and ran a tour business with her husband in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Nguyen, aged 30, was one of her employees. Their remains were discovered after they failed to attend a scheduled tour with a group.
Authorities reported that hotel workers found the room lock had not functioned properly, indicating that Trotter may have accessed it while moving through the hotel’s hallways and testing door handles.
Trotter was apprehended about a week post the homicides during a police pursuit in Chino, California, alongside his girlfriend, Itaska Dean.
Rasmussen acknowledged Trotter’s previous criminal history, revealing he was under a five-year probation sentence for a felony related to resisting a police officer with a weapon at the time of the homicides. She highlighted that Trotter had the backing of a supportive family.
Dean admitted guilt in California for evading arrest but faced no charges concerning the deaths of Nghia and Nguyen. She provided testimony during Trotter’s trial.
While Trotter claimed innocence regarding the killings of Nghia and Nguyen, police and prosecutors noted he possessed personal items belonging to the victims, which included a handbag, wallets, a mobile phone, jewelry, and Vietnamese currency.
The last execution carried out in Nevada was of Daryl Mack in April 2006, following his conviction for a 1988 rape and murder case in Reno, where Mack had himself requested the lethal injection.