Suspect in deadly shove of man on Las Vegas bus stays on house arrest
Prosecutors said a woman accused of pushing a 74-year-old man off a bus in March, leading to his death, has a history of violence.
Deputy District Attorney Brad Turner argued in court Wednesday that 25-year-old Cadesha Bishop was a danger to the community and that her $100,000 bail should be increased.
The judge did not agree, however, and returned her to house arrest.
Bishop was arrested on a murder charge last month after Serge Fournier, a man Bishop allegedly pushed off of a Regional Transportation Commission bus, died from complications of his injuries from the fall.
Turner cited two prior domestic battery convictions in 2012 and 2013 and a police report from a “keep the peace” call involving Bishop in 2015. He said that when Bishop was denied a job, she confronted employees at a human resources office. On her way out of the office, she yelled profanities and threw furniture at employees, but was never cited, Turner said.
Turner said her young son was present for the 2015 altercation.
Bishop’s attorney, Michael Becker, opposed the bail increase, arguing that she has obeyed all the conditions of her bail while on house arrest and that her charge didn’t warrant a higher bail.
“They want to get the media to kind of tar and feather Ms. Bishop and make her seem like some terrible person,” Becker said.
Police and prosecutors have said that Fournier asked Bishop to “be nicer to the other passengers” before she pushed him, but Becker said that in audio evidence Fournier is heard asking “What are you going to do about it?”
“She obviously showed him what she was going to do,” Turner said in his rebuttal.
District Court Judge Douglas Herndon determined that Bishop’s bail was appropriate for her charges, and set her trial for April 2020.
Bishop faces one count each of murder, abuse of an older/vulnerable person resulting in death and battery resulting in substantial bodily harm of a victim 60 or older.
Fournier died about a month after the March 21 incident from complications he suffered after hitting the concrete, according to testimony from a forensic pathologist made public earlier. The incident occurred near Fremont and 13th streets.
Surveillance video shows a woman shoving Fournier off a Regional Transportation Commission bus, then stepping over him as he lay bleeding on concrete.
Police said that Fournier refused medical attention at the scene, but then arrived at University Medical Center later that night because of his injuries.
His family told detectives that Fournier died April 23. The Clark County coroner’s office determined he died from complications of blunt force torso injuries, and his death was ruled a homicide.
Fournier was a regular presence at the Desert Plaza Senior Apartments at Maryland Parkway and Carson Avenue. He had been living there with his partner, identified only as Esther, since 2004.
The senior living community created a GoFundMe campaign in support of Esther. More than $7,700 had been raised as of Wednesday.
Contact Max Michor at mmichor@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0365. Follow @MaxMichor on Twitter.