Man had history of violence against women, court records show

Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2000 | 1:47 a.m.

The Las Vegas man whose wife returned home after a domestic dispute to find him standing over a woman's bloody body has a history of violence against women, court records show.

Since 1995, three women received a total of four temporary protective orders commanding Ronald W. Collins not to come within 50 feet of them.

All three women, including his wife, Melanie, said Collins threatened to kill them at some point during their relationships.

A North Las Vegas woman stated in a July 1995 application for a protective order that Collins beat and choked her while they were living together.

"He uses drugs and drinks on a daily basis and it makes him violent," the woman said.

A Las Vegas woman stated in a December 1995 application for a protective order that Collins slapped and pushed her during a financial dispute that occurred while they were living together.

Melanie Collins was granted protective orders in May 1997 and September 1999 following incidents at the Castle Cove Drive residence she shared with Collins. Each order expired after one month when Melanie Collins did not apply for an extension.

In the most recent incident, Melanie Collins said her husband kicked down a door when she refused to let him inside the home because he had been drinking.

"He then punched her in the eye and nose," according to the application.

In the 1997 incident, Melanie Collins said her husband put his hands around her face to prevent her from screaming.

Melanie Collins declined a request for an interview Monday. "This is a really hard time," she said.

Her husband is being held in the Clark County Detention Center on a charge of murder in the Jan. 11 slaying of a woman whose throat was slashed.

He was arrested following a four-hour standoff at his home.

His wife told police she and her 9-year-old son fled the residence after she and her husband had a fight the night before.

Melanie Collins said she returned the following morning and found her husband standing beside a nude and bloody body in their kitchen.

The name of the 37-year-old victim has not been released while authorities try to locate her family. The woman had a history of prostitution arrests, prompting police to suspect Collins picked her up on the streets, possibly in the downtown area.

At the time of his arrest, Collins was awaiting sentencing on a charge of attempted theft in connection with a March incident at a local bar. The incident occurred while he was on parole in connection with the attempted theft of a car.

Court records showed he had numerous other arrests.