Man accused of killing Dotty’s manager left phone at casino

The man arrested in the death of a Dotty’s slot tavern manager this month left his cellphone at the scene, according to a report from the Metropolitan Police Department.

Samuel Schmid, 28, was arrested last week in Riverside County, California, and later booked into the Clark County Detention Center on murder, battery, robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery, according to jail records.

Investigators discovered Schmid was messaging with another man who watched a woman win $30,000 at the casino, 6142 W. Flamingo Road, according to an arrest report released Tuesday.

Video from the scene showed Schmid pulled up to the casino May 11 in a black Mercedes-Benz SUV, parked in the handicap spot and was inside the casino for only a few minutes. Witnesses said he ripped the purse from across the body of a woman and ran into the parking lot, according to the arrest report.

Dotty’s manager Alicia Gibellina, 60, ran into the parking lot to stop Schmid and was run over. She died an hour later from blunt force injuries, the Clark County coroner’s office ruled.

Inside the casino, patrons noticed an unattended phone that belonged to Schmid, and detectives used messages and photos on the phone to identify the suspect, including one where Schmid was posing next to his license.

Schmid is being held without bail and expected to appear in court again Thursday.

Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter.