Suspect in killing may have fled

Keith Paul

Wednesday, May 24, 2000 | 11:18 a.m.

A 29-year-old man suspected in the slaying of the son of local NAACP President Gene Collins in a Las Vegas recording studio is believed to have fled to the East Coast.

Christopher Berarducci, who also went by the last name of Fenn, is accused of the April 25 shooting death of 31-year-old Andre Collins, who was found slain about 9:20 p.m. in the Green Room, a recording studio in the 800 block of East Sahara Avenue. Warrants are on file charging Berarducci with murder, said Lt. Wayne Petersen of Metro Police's homicide unit.

Detectives are checking into the possibility that there may have been a relationship between Andre Collins and Berarducci's wife, Trina Berarducci, and that may have been a possible motive.

"We're certainly looking into what the motivation was for the homicide, and certainly we will investigate whether there was any contact or relationship between the suspect's wife and the victim," Petersen said.

Police also have been trying to locate Trina Berarducci, 29, since the time of the Collins slaying. Police say they want to interview her as a witness.

Collins was last seen alive about 7 p.m. at the studio where he was working on his rap recordings. Someone came to the studio after 9 p.m. and found his body, police said.

Gene Collins had just returned home from visiting his son's grave Tuesday when detectives called to say they have obtained a warrant charging Berarducci, a registered felon with a 1993 armed robbery conviction in Rhode Island.

Collins, who took over the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People last year, said he is still mourning his son and waiting for answers to why he was killed.

"There are still a lot of unanswered questions on why and on what he could have done that would make someone do this," Collins said. "We want to wait for all the facts to come out."

Collins said his son was working on putting out his own rap record. He said Andre Collins had been producing other people's music, but wanted to work on his own recordings.

Andre Collins apparently had met Berarducci while working on construction jobs as a carpenter. Berarducci was doing some construction work on a recording studio being started up by Collins and another man, said Kyle Heckard, a friend of Collins.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Christopher or Trina Berarducci is asked to call the homicide unit at 229-3521 or Secret Witness at 385-5555