DA moves deliberately in slayings case

Keith Paul

Thursday, Oct. 26, 2000 | 11:09 a.m.

The case of the March shooting deaths of two armored car guards during a daylight robbery in Henderson is as complex as the Ted Binion murder case, says District Attorney Stewart Bell.

A team of prosecutors -- including Binion prosecutor David Roger -- will go through the 800 to 1,000 pieces of evidence and the investigators' reports before deciding what charges will be filed, Bell said Wednesday.

"The complexity of this case reminds me of the Binion case," Bell said. "That case was investigated for about a year before any charges were filed."

In May, Binion's live-in girlfriend, Sandy Murphy, and her lover, Rick Tabish, were convicted of killing the wealthy gambling figure on Sept. 17, 1998. They were not arrested in connection with his slaying until June 1999.

Bell said prosecutors took their time in that case and judging by the convictions, they took the right route.

"When we feel we can look a jury in the eye and prove our case (in the Henderson slayings), that's the day we'll file," Bell said.

Henderson Police handed over the evidence and an enormous case file to prosecutors Wednesday against Jose Vigoa, 41, Luis Suarez, 36, and Oscar Sanchez, 23. Sanchez died in his Clark County jail cell Oct. 7. His death was ruled a suicide.

Henderson Police Chief Michael Mayberry would not detail the evidence linking the suspects to the March 3 armored car robbery outside the Ross Dress for Less, where two guards -- Richard Sosa, 47, and Gary Prestidge II, 23 -- were gunned down. But he said he was confident the evidence would lead to a trial and convictions.

"I don't want anyone to ever forget that the most important reason that we worked this case as hard as we did was for the families of Gary Prestidge and Richard Sosa," Mayberry said, "and secondly, for the citizens of Henderson who needed to know that these guys are off the street."

Vigoa and Sanchez have been off the street since June when they were arrested in connection with the June 3 armed robbery of the Bellagio hotel-casino. Suarez was arrested in August in connection with the same caper. Vigoa and Suarez are being held without bond in the county jail.

The suspected robbery crew has been linked to the 1999 botched armored car robbery outside the Desert Inn, the 1998 MGM and 1999 Mandalay Bay robberies.

Prosectors may try Vigoa and Suarez on the homicide cases and the robbery cases together, Bell said.

"One case may tie in with the others and that would be part of the proof," he said.

But Bell warned that charges will not come until after prosecutors go over the case file. Prosecutors may ask that some information be checked into again by police or another lead followed before charges are filed.

Mayberry praised the actions of the FBI agents and Metro Police officers who helped investigate the case.

After the initial arrests of Vigoa and Sanchez in June, a task force of two Henderson Police detectives, two Metro Police robbery detectives and two FBI agents was formed and started chasing down additional leads.

Police have acknowledged a weapon used in the botched Desert Inn heist was also used in the Henderson slayings. Also through DNA testing, Sanchez's blood was found at the scene and in a discarded getaway car.

Sanchez also confessed to being at the Henderson slaying and implicated the other two suspects, but Bell said prosecutors never anticipated being able to use any statements Sanchez made against the other two defendants.

"We didn't ever expect Mr. Sanchez would cooperate (testify) against the other suspects, so we couldn't use those statements against anyone but Mr. Sanchez," Bell said.

Since Sanchez's death, talk about any statements he may have made is moot.

Mayberry said he was never basing his faith on getting convictions in this case against Vigoa and Suarez on statements made by Sanchez.

While he would not say what the evidence is, he said there is physical evidence linking Vigoa and Suarez to the Henderson slaying.

"I just think when the physical evidence comes out in court, people will understand why we're confident we'll get convictions in this case," Mayberry said.