Orleans slaying suspect nabbed in New Orleans

Keith Paul

Friday, April 21, 2000 | 10:52 a.m.

A man wanted in connection with Las Vegas' first slaying of the year -- that occurred inside the Orleans hotel-casino -- was nabbed in New Orleans Thursday, working as a day laborer.

Curtis Randall Barker, 37, was identified as a suspect soon after the Jan. 2 slaying of 32-year-old Roy Powell inside a room at the Orleans hotel-casino. A warrant is on file charging Barker with murder.

Metro Police detectives knew Barker is from Colorado and were working with police there. Investigators received information that Barker -- who also went by the name Curtis Prevost -- was in New Orleans, said Lt. Wayne Petersen of Metro's homicide unit.

Powell and Barker checked into the Orleans Jan. 1 about 7 p.m. Hotel surveillance video showed the two men going into the room about 8:20 p.m. on Jan. 1 and one man leaving leaving the room carrying a duffel bag at 8:41 p.m.

Barker called the hotel on the morning of Jan. 2 and asked hotel workers to check on Powell saying they had been in a fight inside the room. Hotel security went to the room and found Powell dead.

Powell died from being struck on the head, Clark County coroner officials said.

Petersen said he doesn't know what started the fight.

"They knew each other and were apparently friends. They had been living together in a halfway house," Petersen said.

Barker was held this morning in a New Orleans jail pending extradition back to Las Vegas.

Keith Paul covers crime and public safety for the Sun. He can be reached at (702) 259-4057 or by e-mail at keith@lasvegassun.com