A Latino man arrested in October accused of stabbing to death two people and stabbing six others in Las Vegas has been found unfit to stand trial, his attorney said Friday.
A Nevada judge ordered
Yoni Christian Barrios, 32,
to remain in a psychiatric facility indefinitely until doctors determine she can understand the criminal charges against her, according to her defense attorney, Scott Coffee.
If ultimately found competent, Barrios will stand trial on two counts of murder and six counts of attempted murder in the attack that killed Maris DiGiovanni, 30, and Brent Allan Hallett, 46.
"He stabbed us, he stabbed us!": The chilling 911 call after the attack in Las Vegas
Oct 13, 202201:04
State authorities say Barrios asked DiGiovanni and other
showgirls
-- street performers who wear flashy clothes for photos with tourists -- to pose with him before grabbing a large chef's knife outside the Wynn Las Vegas resort.
[“He stabbed me in the back”: a Latino details how he survived the mass attack in Las Vegas that left 2 dead]
Prosecutor John Giordani was not available to comment Friday on Clark County District Judge Christy Craig's jurisdiction ruling, The Associated Press reported.
Giordani has said that surveillance video clearly shows the attack occurred at midday.
Local authorities said Yoni Barrios was diagnosed with psychosis and was not following his treatment when the attack occurred because he said the pills were killing him.
Two days before the stabbing in Las Vegas, the attacker spoke with a Telemundo team
Oct 8, 202201:44
Barrios' attorney said he was born in Guatemala and had been in the United States for several years, but it was not clear if he is undocumented.
A police report of the arrest says that, after arriving in Las Vegas from Los Angeles, Barrios asked a concierge at the Wynn Hotel to contact Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to have him returned. to Guatemala.
Barrios told police he believed the stabbed women were laughing at him and making fun of his clothes, according to local authorities.