Fatal punch at The Strat results in prison term
A Las Vegas man was sentenced on Friday to a maximum of 10 years in prison for fatally punching a 73-year-old man inside the lobby of The Strat in August.
Michael Saunders, who initially was charged with murder, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in December for causing the death of Thach Nguyen of Springfield, Virginia, court records show.
The victim suffered a severe brain bleed when Saunders punched him at The Strat’s check-in line on Aug. 27, and he died Sept. 8 of blunt force head trauma, the Clark County coroner’s office has said.
District Judge Tierra Jones sentenced Saunders to between four and 10 years in prison.
Saunders told the judge that Nguyen’s death would weigh on his mind for the rest of his life.
“It was a mistake. It was a travesty. It shouldn’t have happened,” the defendant said.
Saunders told police that while he was in the lobby, he heard his fiancee say “stop touching me” and “get away from me” to the man behind her. He then ran toward his fiancee and punched the man without saying a word, according to his arrest report.
“I just want to make very clear that this was not an intentional thing on (Saunders’) behalf,” Deputy Public Defender Lina Oraha said. “He’s very sorry, and it was just a matter of a very bad decision that ended very tragically, not only for the victim but also for him.”
Oraha also said Saunders’ grandfather had died the night before the crime occurred.
“Unfortunately, what happened with his grandfather the night before had kind of clouded his judgment,” the attorney said.
Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.