Man sentenced to prison in 2017 Las Vegas double murder

A 37-year-old man who had faced the death penalty for a 2017 double homicide was sentenced to prison on Tuesday.

Durwin Allen, 37, pleaded guilty in May to two counts of second-degree murder for the fatal shootings of 33-year-old Myron Manghum and 27-year-old Alyssa Velasco in January 2017. He entered what is known as an Alford plea, meaning he only admitted that prosecutors had enough evidence to convict him.

District Judge Jacqueline Bluth sentenced Allen to between 10 and 25 years in prison. No family members of the victims made statements, and attorneys did not make any arguments about the case.

He received 2,266 days credit for time already served in custody, meaning he could be released from prison in just under four years.

Allen’s co-defendant, Terrell Stewart, pleaded guilty in June to one count of second-degree murder in connection with Velasco’s killing, court records show.

Both defendants faced capital punishment until prosecutors withdrew a notice of intent to seek the death penalty in February, court records show. Prosecutors did not say why the notice to seek capital punishment was withdrawn.

The two were arrested in connection with the shooting in an apartment north of downtown, in which a third victim, Johnny Brooks, was shot in his hands, prosecutors have said.

Manghum died of a gunshot wound to the head, and Velasco died of gunshot wounds to the head and neck, police have said. According to court records, Brooks played dead during the shooting before he could run from the apartment.

In 2020, Allen was released from jail while awaiting trial after Brooks failed to appear in court to testify. The trial was delayed while investigators tracked Brooks down in Texas, arresting him on what’s known as a “material witness warrant.”

When Brooks testified through a deposition later that year, he claimed he did not remember who shot him. Prosecutors said he had previously identified Allen in a lineup after the shooting.

Allen was on house arrest until October 2021, when he was taken back into custody after violating the conditions of his release. Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal said Tuesday that Allen had been caught associating with other members of the GPK gang.

Speaking softly to the judge on Tuesday, Allen said he had hoped for a “different outcome” to the case through a trial.

“I took the Alford plea for a reason,” he said.

His defense attorney, Pete Christiansen, declined to comment after the hearing.

Christiansen had argued in court documents that Brooks made inconsistent statements about the shooting in interviews with police, and he filed a motion in January to prevent Brooks’ deposition from being used during the trial.

The judge did not rule on prosecutors’ motion to admit Brooks’ testimony before Allen entered the guilty plea agreement, court records show.

Stewart is scheduled for a sentencing hearing on Aug. 1.