Las Vegas Strip stabbing suspect appears in court
The man accused of stabbing a Palazzo security guard Wednesday morning made his first court appearance early Friday.
Wearing dark blue jail garb, Joseph Espinoza, 34, stood quietly as state prosecutors asked that he remain in the Clark County Detention Center on at least $150,000 bail.
Espinoza was initially booked and held without bail Wednesday afternoon, about eight months after he completed his sentence for a separate 2015 case in which he tried to stab a security guard at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. He faces charges of attempted murder and battery with a deadly weapon in the new case.
The Wednesday stabbing happened about 7 a.m. on the casino floor of the Palazzo at 3325 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Police said a homeless man plunged a knife into a guard’s chest for unknown reasons, then ran from the scene.
Las Vegas police arrested Espinoza a short time later near The Mirage. The injured guard is expected to survive.
In court Friday, Deputy Public Defender Michael Wilfong mentioned that Espinoza has a history of mental illness. Justice of the Peace Pro Tem Holly Stoberski ruled that he will be held on $100,000 bail.
“Maybe my parents can bail me out,” Espinoza told the judge shortly after the determination was made.
Should he post bail, the judge noted, Espinoza will be monitored on house arrest. A preliminary hearing is slated for Aug. 28.
Contact Rachel Crosby at rcrosby@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-8135. Follow @rachelacrosby on Twitter.
