Longtime Las Vegas bartender found slain

Jen Lawson

Tuesday, March 9, 2004 | 10:52 a.m.

Regulars of the Odyssey Lounge spent Saturday night at the eastern Las Vegas tavern celebrating bartender Terry Petropoulos' 70th birthday over a buffet of ribs, chicken and spaghetti.

When they showed up at the bar Monday, however, the Odyssey was closed and police were investigating how Petropoulos had wound up slain inside his family-owned business at 1930 E. Fremont St. near Eastern Avenue.

Bar regular Gary Serafine, 52, a retired military man, said Petropoulos "was a hell of a gentleman," often pouring free drinks for good customers.

"Anyone who knew him knew that he was too kindhearted," Serafine said.

He guessed whoever killed Petropoulos was "a stranger on drugs."

Metro Police Lt. Tom Monahan said Petropoulos apparently was slain during a robbery.

Petropoulos had the graveyard shift Sunday night through early Monday at the 24-hour bar. When the day-shift bartender arrived to relieve him she found the door locked, Monahan said. Typically the bartender who is coming off the graveyard shift buzzes her in, but she couldn't reach anyone inside on Monday.

So she called the owner, who unlocked the door and found Petropoulos dead inside just before 8:30 a.m., Monahan said.

The Clark County coroner's office had not released a cause of death as of this morning.

Many of the patrons who came by Monday thought Petropoulos was the owner, but the bar's business license lists Elaine Ruiter as the owner. Friends said Ruiter is Petropoulos' daughter.

Petropoulos' car is missing, Monahan said. It's a dark blue 1983 Mercury four-door station wagon with wood paneling and a cracked windshield with Nevada plates bearing 016MEG.

"We're hoping someone will see it and phone in," Monahan said. "Logic tells us whoever is driving that car would know something about this, so we'd like to talk to them."

About a dozen distraught family members and friends who were gathered outside the bar were shielded from reporters by Robert Hindi, a Metro Police officer who said the victim was his godfather.

As the day wore on, more bar regulars stopped by to find out what had happened.

Serafine said he had a few drinks at Odyssey two or three times a week. He said he never felt unsafe and didn't think the bar had issues with crime, despite its gritty East Fremont location.

The Odyssey Lounge is "a good bar. It's nice and quiet," he said. "It's one of those places where you don't have to look over your back."

Saturday night's birthday celebration for Petropoulos marked the first time Serafine saw the bar packed, he said.

Richard Edmonds, riding by the bar on a bicycle Monday, said he used to go into the bar frequently.

Petropoulos "was a nice old guy," Edmonds said. "He welcomed everyone in there. ... I just called him 'Pop.' "

Ignoring the yellow crime tape surrounding the Odyssey Lounge on Monday afternoon, 59-year-old Loren Nordman strode quickly inside before being ordered to leave by a Metro officer.

As he stood outside, Nordman explained that he "was just going to come in here and have a couple with Terry."

Anyone with information on this crime is asked to call the homicide section at 229-3521 or Crime Stoppers at 385-5555.