Man indicted in slaying of aspiring musician
A 23-year-old accused of fatally shooting an aspiring musician outside the Tenaya Creek Brewery could face the death penalty.
The district attorney’s death penalty committee is expected in the coming weeks to review the case against Brandon Hill and determine whether prosecutors should seek capital punishment if he is convicted.
A District Court grand jury indictment revealed Wednesday that Hill faces six felony counts, including murder with use of a deadly weapon.
Although Hill has maintained his innocence for the March 30 robbery and killing of Michael Portaro, prosecutor Robert Daskas said there is overwhelming evidence of the defendant’s guilt.
Daskas told District Judge Linda Bell the evidence included the defendant’s DNA on a cigarette butt found underneath the victim’s body, the weapon used to shoot Portaro — a .357-caliber handgun — which authorities said Hill dumped as he was fleeing police at the time of his arrest in April, and tennis shoes marked with the victim’s blood, which were found during a search of Hill’s residence.
"And (those are) just the highlights. There is more," said Daskas, who asked Bell to order Hill held without bail, after a lower court judge set bail at $1 million.
Daskas also described security footage of the shooting presented to the grand jury that showed a man smoking a cigarette, wearing white tennis shoes and "lurking in the shadows" while Portaro sold a $16 concert ticket to an upcoming performance.
After Portaro completed the sale, the man in the video "ambushes" the victim, shooting him three times, Daskas said. The video shows the man firing a final shot into the back of Portaro’s head while the victim was facedown on the ground.
The video then shows the man driving off in Portaro’s car.
Deputy Public Defender Joe Abood asked the judge to maintain Hill’s bail amount, though his client couldn’t post it anyway.
Bell ordered Hill held without bail.
The March 30 shooting happened about 11:30 p.m. outside the Tenaya Creek Brewery, 3101 N. Tenaya Way.
Initially, police had few leads to go on other than the cigarette. The security footage did not capture a clear image of the shooter’s face.
During a jailhouse interview in June, Hill told the Review-Journal he had nothing to do with the shooting. "I am innocent of these crimes I’ve been accused of," he said.
Hill has a criminal record that dates to 2008 when he was convicted of carrying a concealed weapon. He was sentenced to two years of probation, which was later revoked.
Hill remains in custody at the Clark County Detention Center and faces one count each of murder with use of a deadly weapon and carrying a concealed weapon, and two counts each of armed robbery and grand larceny auto, according to the indictment. An arraignment hearing is set for Aug. 10.
Portaro was an aspiring hip-hop artist who was a hype man and dancer in the group, Ekoh. He went by the stage name Mikey P.
He was in the bar’s parking lot selling tickets to a show at Daddy Mac’s restaurant in Henderson, where the group was scheduled to perform.
