August trial scheduled in slashing death of prostitute

Kim Smith

Tuesday, Feb. 29, 2000 | 11:19 a.m.

An August trial date has been set for a Las Vegas man accused in the throat-slashing death of a prostitute.

District Judge Joseph Bonaventure this morning set Ronald Collins' trial for Aug. 7. Collins pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder with the use of a deadly weapon.

Prosecutors are scheduled to decide by March 20 if they intend to seek the death penalty for Collins, who is charged in the death of Agnes K. Ready, 37.

According to testimony, Melanie Collins walked into her kitchen early on the morning of Jan. 11 and found a bloody body covered with a blanket.

Metro homicide detectives said she screamed, thinking it was her husband, but then Ronald Collins, 30, came out from underneath the blanket. Both he and the victim were naked and covered in blood.

An autopsy revealed that Ready suffered from numerous cuts and stab wounds and that she died from a slashed throat.

Melanie Collins told police she had left home with her son on Jan. 10 because her husband was drunk and she feared for her safety. It was when she returned the next morning that she found the body.

Police arrested Collins after a four-hour standoff. SWAT officers found him hiding in an air-conditioning duct in the attic. Found inside Collins' pickup were two hunting knives.

Collins is being held without bond.

Kim Smith covers courts for the Sun. She can be reached at (702) 455-4844 or by e-mail at kimberly@lasvegassun.com