Man sent to prison for Las Vegas 1-punch death
A 28-year-old man was sent to prison Tuesday for a punch-and-fall death outside a downtown Las Vegas lounge.
Under a deal with prosecutors, James Beach must serve three to 10 years for voluntary manslaughter in the death of 45-year-old Luis Campos, a father of five, outside Vanguard Lounge.
With 339 days credit for time served in the Clark County Detention Center, Beach could be eligible for parole in about two years.
Campos’ uncle, Paul Mancillas, told District Judge Douglas Herndon that he believes Beach could hurt someone else after being released from prison.
“He will do this again,” Mancillas said. “He’s a predator.”
The judge shared Mancillas’ concern.
“It is unfathomable to me,” Herndon said. “It is unconscionable. There wasn’t any kind of fight or anything. You just decided to punch this guy as you’re walking past him on the sidewalk.”
In 2008, Beach pleaded guilty to charges of attempted murder and battery with a deadly weapon resulting in substantial bodily harm in connection with a brawl between two groups of men in Las Vegas. He served five years in prison and was released in 2014.
Beach apologized for the April 30, 2017, attack. His lawyer, Gregory Knapp, called it a “terrible accident and unfortunate event.”
Campos’ brother, Drake Garibay, also was standing outside the lounge when Beach threw the punch. Garibay said he believes Beach, who previously faced a charge of intimidating a witness after prosecutors said he threatened a woman who identified him to police, has shown “zero remorse or empathy for his actions.”
“As it stands now, Beach has literally gotten away with murder, and any reasoning he’s given to justify his act of malice is a blatant lie to protect his own life from the consequences of his own reckless actions,” Garibay told the judge.
Garibay said the attack was unprovoked and that his brother said nothing to Campos before he was punched.
Campos, of La Puente, California, died four days after he was struck once outside the club. He collapsed and likely hit his head, according to the Clark County coroner.
“We’re all going to die,” Garibay told the judge, “but I think what makes it worse is how we die. My family and I have been dealt a life sentence of pain, torment and suffering. Meanwhile, this piece of trash gets the luxury of a plea deal. For what?”
Contact David Ferrara at dferrara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039. Follow @randompoker on Twitter.
