Las Vegas murder suspect released from jail after witness no-show

A man facing the death penalty was ordered released from jail Thursday after prosecutors could not locate a key witness at the start of a double murder trial.

Durwin Allen, 34, was charged in the killings of Myron Manghum, 33, and Alyssa Velasco, 27, who were found dead in an apartment north of downtown in January 2017. Manghum died of a gunshot wound to the head, police said at the time; Velasco died of gunshot wounds to the head and neck.

During jury selection, defense attorney Peter S. Christiansen filed court papers saying that prosecutors had improperly obtained what’s known as a “material witness warrant” for Johnny Brooks, who was shot during the attack and survived.

He had cooperated with authorities, but has since been unreachable, according to his attorney, Michael Horvath.

Christiansen asked the judge to quash the warrant. Without Brooks, the key witness, Christansen argued, “there is no basis for the state to seek a continuance.” That could have meant that the case was dismissed. Prosecutors asked District Judge Michael Villani to postpone the trial, instead of dismissing the case.

Christiansen argued that Allen should then be released from custody because prosecutors had requested his trial date be moved. Villani ordered Allen released to house arrest, over prosecutors’ objections, while scheduling a hearing for Tuesday to determine when the trial could continue.

Christiansen and prosecutors declined to comment for this story.

Authorities said Brooks played dead after he was shot while Allen was still at the house. At the scene of the double slaying, police followed a “fresh blood trail” back to the apartment on the 900 block of West Washington Avenue, where Manghum and Velasco were found, court records indicate. Brooks, who was shot in his hands, was treated at University Medical Center.

Velasco’s brother, Brandon Barnes, told police he was on the phone with her during the shooting. Barnes reportedly heard his sister screaming, “No, no, no!”

Another man charged in the killings, Terrell Stewart, remains jailed and is awaiting trial set for March.

Police said Allen and Stewart were at the apartment earlier in the evening and allowed back into the residence, which neighbors said is used as a site for narcotics sales. An argument over drugs ensued between the three victims and two others before “they just started shooting,” police said at the time.

Two pizza boxes were found while homicide detectives investigated the 0.2-mile blood trail. According to the report, detectives saw Manghum buying pizza with a man, later identified as Allen by Manghum’s girlfriend, and the surviving victim.

Contact David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Follow @randompoker on Twitter.