Plea agreement made in fatal shooting at Harrah’s

Friday, Sept. 21, 2001 | 10:30 a.m.

A man arrested in connection with the killing last year of a 29-year-old woman at Harrah's entered into a plea agreement Thursday that allows him to avoid a murder charge as well as a long sentence.

Deputy Special Public Defender Dayvid Figler said Michael Frimmel, 32, pleaded guilty to four counts of burglary in exchange for a number of other charges, including murder, being dismissed.

Figler said prosecutors will recommend Frimmel receive four sentences of one-to-10-years each served at the same time.

Frimmel, who has no prior felony convictions and who did not fire the shot that killed the woman, is also eligible for parole.

Authorities believe Frimmel and Stephen Mullen Jr. were involved in a number of thefts from various casinos in the days leading up to the Sept. 8, 2000, death of the woman, who was a tourist from Hawaii.

On that day, security guards of Harrah's confronted Mullen and Frimmel because they said they recognized them from the earlier thefts.

Frimmel was handcuffed without incident, but Mullen tried to run away and was wrestled to the floor by casino guards. Mullen pulled a gun from his waistband and fired two shots before guards could take the gun, police said.

One of the shots hit Heather Vitarelli, 29, in the back, and the other hit a security guard in the abdomen. The guard survived.

Figler said Frimmel was with the wrong person in the wrong place when Mullen did the wrong thing.

Mullen, too, has entered a plea agreement. He will receive a life prison sentence with parole possible after 40 years. It will be up to District Judge Michael Cherry to decide if the attempted murder sentence should run at the same time or after the life sentence.

Mullen will be sentenced Oct. 16 and Frimmel Nov. 2.