Los Angeles Democrat DA failed to prosecute illegal alien who instead went free and stabbed 8 people in Las Vegas
Democrat Jackie Lacey was the Los Angeles County District Attorney from 2012-2020. Lacey charged 32-year-old Yoni Barrios with criminal domestic violence in 2019. Had she secured a timely conviction, Barrios would not have been able to allegedly stab eight people and murder both 47-year-old Brent Allan Hallet and 30-year-old Maris Mareen Digiovanni on October 6. However, the case never went to trial, and Barrios was ultimately permitted to roam freely in the United States.
Charged, not tried
Barrios is a criminal noncitizen from Guatemala. The Nevada GOP noted that Barrios would not have been able to hurt Nevadans if the U.S. border had been secure.
\u201cYoni Barrios wouldn\u2019t be here if our border were secure. @SteveSisolak wants Nevada to be a sanctuary state so more criminals can come here and hurt Nevadans. How many people have to die before the Democrats will secure the border?\n\nHorrific and disgraceful.\u201d— Nevada GOP (@Nevada GOP) 1665180447
Although his illegal entry into the U.S. may have been legal grounds to get Barrios off of American streets, there were two additional opportunities that were also fumbled.
In 2016, Barrios was stopped for speeding and driving without a license in Riverside, California. He received only a citation and a fine.
The Daily Mail obtained documents indicating that Barrios was charged with a violent crime in July 2019 by former Los Angeles D.A. Jackie Lacey. The corresponding criminal domestic violence incident took place on August 18, 2018. A conviction would have meant up to four years in prison followed by deportation.
While Lacey reportedly filed the case approximately one year after the incident, the first pre-trial hearing did not take place until April 8, 2021.
Since Lacey had failed to bring the criminal domestic violence case to court in a timely fashion, the judge dismissed it on the first day of the trial, citing the state's penal codes 1381, 1381.5, and 1382.
California has strict speedy trial laws. California Penal Code Sec. 1382 states that the "court ... shall order the action to be dismissed ... [in] a felony case, when a defendant is not brought to trial within 60 days of the defendant's arraignment on an indictment or information, or reinstatement of criminal proceedings ... or within 90 days after notice of the writ or order is filed in the trial court and served upon the prosecuting attorney."
Notwithstanding the judge's insistence that the case was dismissed owing to delays, Eric Siddall, vice president of the Association of Los Angeles Deputy District Attorneys, told the DailyMail.com, "If the case was thrown out by the judge, it was probably because of witness issues."
A preventable rampage
Barrios allegedly began his unprovoked stabbing spree on October 6 outside the Wynn Casino in the 3100 block of South Las Vegas Boulevard. Brandishing a large kitchen knife, he reportedly began stabbing people on the sidewalk and then proceeded south down the street, stabbing several additional victims.
According to his arrest report, he "started running and looking for groups of people so he could 'let the anger out.'"
Police indicated that Barrios stabbed eight people, one of whom died on the scene and another of whom later died at the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada.
\u201cDeadly stabbing on #LasVegas Strip\u2026 photo from video taken by tourist. You can see people attending to two victims. This is outside of Wynn at LV BLVD & Spring Mtn, I blacked out the victim due to it being graphic \ud83d\udcf7: Eric Quintanar @KTNV\u201d— Joe Moeller (@Joe Moeller) 1665087097
When concerned citizens gave chase, Barrios allegedly fled, only to be captured by Las Vegas police and Sands security guards.
Anna Westby, who survived a stab in the back, held Maris DiGiovanni in her arms as she was dying. She said that Barrios, armed with a knife, had claimed to be a new chef. Showcasing his weapon, Barrios allegedly said he had "created this new brand of knives with his chef business" and then asked the victims to pose with him for a photo with his logo. When the victims refused, Barrios reportedly began stabbing them.
\u201cAnna Westby was one of the showgirls stabbed in the recent attack on the Las Vegas strip. She says she held her friend and fellow showgirl, Maris DiGiovanni, in her arms as she lay dying.\u201d— Inside Edition (@Inside Edition) 1665500401
Barrios, who was charged last week with two counts of open murder with a deadly weapon and six counts of attempted murder with a deadly weapon, appeared in court on October 11. He was appointed a public defender and ordered to be held without bail.
He is scheduled to appear again for a preliminary hearing on January 12.
At least 60 illegal aliens have been convicted so far this year of murder and manslaughter, and 1,020 have been convicted of assault, battery, and domestic violence.
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