Las Vegas suspect asked showgirls to take photo with knife before deadly stabbings

Las Vegas suspect asked showgirls to take photo with knife before deadly stabbings

The man charged with fatally stabbing two people and injuring six others in Las Vegas asked a group of showgirls at a hotel if they would take a picture with him and his foot-long kitchen knife before the lethal rampage, authorities said.

After arriving from California, Yoni Barrios, 32, took a bus Thursday morning to the Wynn hotel and casino on the Strip to inquire about a job, according to investigators. He approached the showgirls; told them he was a chef and asked if they would take a picture with him and his knife.

Barrios thought they were “laughing at him and making fun of his clothing” and allegedly stabbed at least two, according to a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department arrest report obtained by The Times. Maris Mareen DiGiovanni, 30, died from her injuries at UMC Trauma Center.

Barrios started running after the attack and later told authorities that he was looking for people to “let the anger out,” according to the police report. He allegedly attacked several people outside the hotel, fatally stabbing Brent Hallett, 47, in the back.

When the attack was over, a total of eight victims were identified, police said. Seven were taken to hospitals. Hallett was pronounced dead at the scene.

Both deaths were ruled homicides by the Clark County coroner. DiGiovanni died from being stabbed in the chest, and Hallett died of a stab wound to the back.

Barrios was arrested a short time after the stabbings, and the knife was recovered, police said. He was treated at Sunrise Hospital for minor injuries and booked into the Clark County Detention Center on suspicion of two counts of murder with a deadly weapon and six counts of attempted murder with a deadly weapon.

“This was an isolated incident,” Las Vegas Metro Police Deputy Chief James LaRochelle said in a news release Thursday. “All evidence indicates Barrios acted alone, and there are no outstanding suspects at this time.”

Barrios appeared in court Friday afternoon at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas, according to reports. The judge has set no bail; Barrios is scheduled to appear Tuesday at 8:30 a.m.

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