Pahrump man accused of killing roommate in fight over drugs
A Pahrump man was arrested Saturday after the Nye County Sheriff’s Office said he killed his roommate during a fight over drugs.
Lt. Adam Tippetts said in a video briefing Monday that the Sheriff’s Office got a 911 call on Saturday from a man asking for help before the line disconnected. The call was traced to an address on Linda Street in Pahrump.
When officers arrived at the scene, a witness told them they had heard two men arguing inside a trailer, according to the video. Marco Torres, 57, opened the trailer door and told the deputies to leave, Tippetts said.
Officers got inside the trailer and found another man dead in the bedroom with visible injuries to his head and face. Torres told them he and his roommate had gotten into an argument after the roommate spilled a bag of marijuana on the floor.
During the fight the roommate went to the bedroom to call police, according to the video. Torres explained that he smashed the phone on the ground and choked his roommate until he stopped breathing, Tippetts said.
Torres was arrested and booked into the Nye County Detention Center on charges of second-degree murder, resisting arrest and intercepting a telephone message. He remained in the jail Monday.
Contact Alexis Egeland at aegeland@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0335. Follow @alexis_egeland on Twitter.
