Man had threatened wife’s life

Keith Paul

Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2001 | 11:05 a.m.

A Henderson man, who last week was found dead in his burned house with his wife in what police are now calling a murder-suicide, threatened to kill his wife a year ago when the couple lived in North Las Vegas, police say.

Sonny Thaker, 32, and his 30-year-old wife, Yudit Thaker, were found Aug. 6 in the burned-out master bedroom of their Parker Ranch Drive home near Gibson Road and Lake Mead Drive. Police determined the fire was deliberately set and were investigating the deaths as homicides.

Henderson Police this morning said evidence indicates Sonny Thaker killed his wife, then killed himself. The remnants of a handgun were found near the bodies, but the cause of death has not been determined by the Clark County Coroner's Office.

Henderson detectives are still trying to determine what led to the murder-suicide, Capt. Jutta Chambers said.

Thaker was arrested by North Las Vegas Police in June 2000 on charges of domestic battery involving Yudit Thaker. The arrest came about nine months after the couple married. He admitted to North Las Vegas Police officers that night that he had been arrested for the same charge involving his previous wife.

In June 2000, when the couple lived in North Las Vegas, police were called to their home on Rose Canyon Drive near Martin Luther King Boulevard and Alexander Road because of a domestic dispute.

When the officers arrived at the house, Yudit Thaker was crying and had a visible red mark on her left shoulder.

Police talked with Sonny Thaker, who said he had been arrested for domestic battery on his previous wife and had to take anger management classes, according to a North Las Vegas Police report.

Yudit Thaker told officers she was arguing with Sonny Thaker about him kicking and breaking a door the night before. When he became angry she attempted to call 911, according to a police report. She gave the following account:

"Sonny grabbed the phone from her and hung it up. He then pulled out a black bag from a drawer, which contained a handgun, placed it on the bed and said, 'Let's take care of this now,' " according to the report.

A police dispatcher called the home when the 911 call was disconnected. Sonny Thaker told the dispatcher that kids were playing with the phone, according to the report.

"When Yudit called 911 again, Sonny pushed her with both hands on the upper chest, knocking her on the bed. Sonny then threatened to kill her with the handgun," the report read.

Thaker was arrested on a misdemeanor charge, and three handguns and various knives were taken from the house that night, according to the police report.

Sonny and Yudit Thaker apparently moved into the Park Ranch Drive house in April with Yudit Thaker's 8-year-old son from a previous marriage. The boy was picked up at school by another family member after his mother and step-father didn't pick him up the day of the fire.

Police contacted Yudit Thaker's ex-husband, who apparently was out of town the day of the fire.

Sonny and Yudit Thaker married in September 1999. Both had work cards to work as dealers in Strip hotel-casinos. Sonny Thaker married his previous wife in 1994 and was divorced from her in 1997, according to marriage and court records. Sonny Thaker's ex-wife declined comment Monday night.

When firefighters were called to the house they found there had been extensive damage to the master bedroom and that windows had been blown out, possibly because of an explosion. The fire severely damaged the bodies, delaying positive identification.