Man charged in downtown LV beating death

Keith Paul

Friday, Oct. 12, 2001 | 9:56 a.m.

A 42-year-old man was arrested Thursday night in connection with the April slaying of a Las Vegas man found dead in downtown Las Vegas.

Metro Police booked Christopher Daniels into the Clark County jail on a murder charge accusing him of hitting John Kosco, 35, in the head with a flashlight and killing him on April 29. Daniels was arrested about 6 p.m. Thursday.

Kosco was found in the 100 block of North Eighth Street in April with a head wound. Police at the time didn't know if Kosco fell down and died or if he was killed, Lt. Wayne Petersen said.

"It took us a while to find someone who saw what happened," he said. "We believe it was over a dispute about money. Apparently Daniels thought Kosco owed him money."

Police located some witnesses who knew Kosco and told them that he frequently was around. That information led police to others who corroborated the information and led them to Daniels.

Kosco's death is the 115 homicide this year in Metro's jurisdiction compared with 77 at the same time last year. Last year there were 95 homicides marking the first time since 1990 there were fewer than 100 slayings in Metro's area -- Las Vegas and the unincorporated areas of Clark County.