Man arrested in Las Vegas homicide faces DUI charge

The Clark County coroner’s office has ruled the previously unpublicized February death of a 30-year-old man a homicide, but the person arrested in his death only faces DUI and reckless driving charges, Las Vegas police documents show.

Angel Nieto, 30, died at University Medical Center on Feb. 5 after he was in a crash on Jan. 24 at Christy Lane and Monroe Avenue, south of Owens Avenue. On Feb. 29, Marques Graybeal, 42, was booked into the Clark County Detention Center on suspicion of DUI resulting in death and reckless driving resulting in death or significant bodily harm, according to Graybeal’s arrest report, which the Metropolitan Police Department released Wednesday.

Metro did not announce Nieto’s death in February, although the department routinely announces traffic-related fatalities. It was not immediately clear on Wednesday if Nieto’s death would be counted by the department as a traffic-related fatality.

The Clark County coroner’s office said Nieto died of blunt force head trauma, and his death was ruled a homicide.

Homicide Lt. Ray Spencer said Wednesday that the Clark County district attorney’s office has reviewed the case, and “it wasn’t charged as a homicide.” District Attorney Steve Wolfson did not immediately respond to request for comment Wednesday afternoon.

According to Graybeal’s arrest report, officers were called to the scene about 10:55 p.m. Jan. 24, and found a GMC Sierra and a Kia Sorento both crashed into a block wall. Nieto was found “slumped over the front dash and steering wheel” of the GMC, which had driven through the wall and stopped partially in the backyard of a home.

Detectives determined that before the crash, Nieto shot at Graybeal as the 42-year-old was in his Kia at the intersection of Harris Avenue and Christy, the report said. Graybeal then turned his car around and followed Nieto as he fled the scene of the shooting.

As Graybeal was following Nieto, the Kia collided with the back of Nieto’s truck’s tow hitch, “causing Nieto to lose control of his vehicle and collide into the block wall,” the report said. Detectives determined Graybeal was driving between 48 and 78 mph “at the time his vehicle made contact with Angel’s truck.”

Graybeal had “an odor of an unknown alcoholic beverage” after the crash, but Metro redacted the results of a blood test for alcohol or drugs from the report.

“The investigation revealed Marques Graybeal was under the influence of alcohol and methamphetamine while driving his vehicle during the incident,” the report said.

Criminal histories

It is not unheard of for prosecutors to charge defendants with murder after a DUI crash. According to a Review-Journal analysis of court records, Clark County prosecutors from 2017 to November filed murder charges against at least seven motorists accused of driving under the influence and causing deadly crashes.

Graybeal’s arrest report indicates Metro gang detectives were also involved in the investigation. Court records show that in October 2006, Nieto pleaded guilty to felony charges of battery with a deadly weapon, committing a felony to promote activities of a criminal gang, and furthering or assisting a criminal gang.

During an interview with police on Feb. 28, Graybeal said he was driving his Kia when he saw a vehicle parked on the wrong side of the road, with its headlights pointed toward him. Graybeal continued driving when the truck started driving toward him, the report said.

Graybeal said the two vehicles then stopped side-by-side, and the truck’s driver asked “what’ up” and “who are you,” the report said. He said that after “exchanging words” with the truck driver, whom Graybeal said he didn’t know, he “heard a gunshot coming from the truck,” and saw the driver stick a gun out the window.

He claimed another person was in the passenger seat of the truck, but he “could not describe the person” because of the darkness and the truck’s tinted windows, the report said. Only Nieto was found in the truck after the crash.

Graybeal said he followed the truck to write down the license plate, the report said. He said the truck “slowed down at a fast pace,” causing the collision that veered both vehicles into a wall.

“Marques knew how dangerous it was to be driving in that manner at night,” wrote the officer who authored the report. “He realized it was not a good idea to have followed the truck and instead should of called 911.”

Graybeal has been arrested numerous times in Clark County, and his earliest case dates to 1995, District Court records show. He has pleaded guilty in multiple felony battery and domestic violence cases since 2002.

A preliminary hearing in Graybeal’s DUI case is scheduled for March 17, court records show. He remained in jail on Wednesday with $100,000 bail.

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