Suspect in love triangle slaying in Las Vegas denies stabbing victim

A woman accused of killing her ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend early Saturday in Las Vegas in a frenzied attack admitted to kicking the man, possessing a knife and being in a fight, but maintained she didn’t stab him, according to police documents.

Grissel Gonzaga, 29, of California, faces murder and other charges in the slaying of Travis Smith, 28, of Logandale. Police claim Gonzaga beat and stabbed Smith, and also attacked her ex-girlfriend after finding Smith with the woman in a bedroom at a home on the 9600 block of Pine River Lane, near East Silverado Ranch Boulevard and Pollock Drive.

In a police report supporting Gonzaga’s arrest, police said they met with Gonzaga and read her her Miranda rights shortly after Smith was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

“According to Gonzaga she traveled from California to Las Vegas unannounced to ‘surprise’ (her ex,)” the police report states.

Gonzaga arrived at her ex-girlfriend’s home in the early morning hours and “entered the house through the back door slider, which was already broken.”

“Gonzaga went directly upstairs to the master bedroom,” police wrote. “Gonzaga walked in on (the victims) engaged in sexual intercourse. Gonzaga became angry and immediately confronted both victims.”

A struggle ensued, according to Gonzaga.

“Gonzaga admitted to kicking (Smith) in the head area more than once,” the arrest report states. “… Gonzaga did admit to going downstairs and grabbing a knife from the kitchen area and returning back upstairs with the knife, but denied stabbing or slashing either victim.”

Police said Gonzaga’s ex told a different story. She said she’d been in a dating relationship with Gonzaga for two years and they had lived together before breaking up a month ago. Court proceedings this week indicate Gonzaga had previously been ordered to stay away from the woman as a result of a domestic battery charge in June.

Gonzaga’s ex-girlfriend told police on the morning of the slaying she “heard someone rip open the back broken sliding glass door … then heard loud stomping going upstairs and saw the master bedroom burst open.”

The woman said Gonzaga entered the bedroom and started attacking her. Smith pulled Gonzaga off the woman and Gonzaga “began to punch and choke him.”

“(She) stated Smith did not do anything, he just stood there as Gonzaga attacked him,” police wrote. “Gonzaga went into the master bedroom bathroom and retrieved a sharp pair of tweezers and again attacked (Smith).”

At some point Smith went to the ground.

“Gonzaga repeatedly stomped on (his) forehead, leaving her shoe print,” the report states.

The report states Smith somehow crawled into an upstairs closet and called 911. He died later in the emergency room at St. Rose Dominican Hospital, Siena campus.

The police report states about six minutes after Smith’s call, Gonzaga also called 911.

“She reported that she was involved in a mutual fight,” police said.

Gonzaga’s interim attorney, Clark County Deputy Public Defender Sarah Hawkins, said in court this week that detectives’ version of the attack was “one side of three stories” about what happened at the home. She said Gonzaga also suffered injuries that were not documented by police.

A GoFundMe account has been set up to raise money for funeral expenses for Smith. As of midday Wednesday, it had raised a little more than $4,000.

Contact Glenn Puit at gpuit@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0390. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.