Man arrested in beating death of girlfriend in hotel near the Strip

Las Vegas police have arrested a 31-year-old man in the beating death of his girlfriend on Monday at a hotel near the Strip, according to an arrest report.

Officers were called about 8:15 a.m. after receiving a report of a homicide at the Home2 Suites by Hilton hotel at 4940 Dean Martin Drive, according to Metropolitan Police Department dispatch logs.

Justin Medof was arrested and booked into the Clark County Detention Center in connection with the investigation, according to jail records and Metro spokesman Larry Hadfield. He faces a charge of murder with a deadly weapon, court records show.

According to Medof’s arrest report, he called 911 himself and told police that he had woken up to find his girlfriend “beaten, bloody and dead,” the report said. When police arrived at the hotel room, Medof was performing CPR on the woman, identified in the report as Stephanie Duarte.

Medical personnel took over chest compressions, but discovered that the woman’s body “appeared to be in rigor mortis,” the report said.

“Evidence at the scene indicates a struggle occurred in the room where the victim sustained a head injury,” Metro said in a statement released Tuesday afternoon.

It appeared the woman had been dead for “a few hours” before police arrived, Metro said.

Video surveillance from the hotel showed Medof arriving and entering an elevator at about 2:10 a.m., then Duarte arriving at the front desk less than 15 minutes later.

The woman “asked if Medof had been looking for her and also asked if there were any messages left for her,” the report said. She then entered the elevator a few minutes later.

Guests in a neighboring room later told police they heard loud noises and fighting between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. from the room where the couple was staying, the report said.

Medof initially told police he and Duarte had an argument at the Fremont Street Experience and he left her there and returned to the hotel. He told police he fell asleep in their room and found her body when he woke up.

When Medof was taken to Metro headquarters for an interview he declined to speak without an attorney present, the report said.

The Clark County coroner’s office will determine the woman’s cause and manner of death.

Medof was scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday afternoon.

Anyone with information about the case can contact Metro’s homicide section at 702-828-3521. Anonymous tips can be left with Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555.

Contact Katelyn Newberg at knewberg@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0240. Follow @k_newberg on Twitter.