Arrest at Flamingo may have thwarted slaying

Stephen Curran

Friday, Nov. 19, 2004 | 11:07 a.m.

An armed Kentucky man was arrested Thursday morning in the lobby of the Flamingo on the Strip where he allegedly was about to shoot his estranged wife and her boyfriend, Metro Police said.

William J. Anthony, 40, of Newport, Ky., was charged with fugitive burglary with a weapon and for being an ex-felon in possession of a firearm after security personnel at the Flamingo spotted him approaching his estranged wife in the hotel's lobby.

As five hotel security guards surrounded Anthony, he reached into a shoulder bag for what later was found to be a loaded automatic handgun. Anthony was wrestled to the ground and placed under arrest, Lt. Jim Moses of Metro's career criminal section said.

Anthony's wife was also in the lobby, preparing to check out, he said. Anthony was stopped before he could approach her. No injuries were reported.

"It could have been really bad," Moses said. "It could have been really bad for a lot of people. There was a lot of good cooperation between us and hotel security. We can't maintain a 24-hour vigil at the hotel."

Police at the scene said Anthony had traveled to Las Vegas to kill his wife, her male companion and himself. Police in Kentucky had alerted local authorities that Anthony had been living apart from his wife and allegedly had broke into her home on Wednesday to kill her.

Once there, he apparently found an itinerary for her planned trip to Las Vegas, and followed her here in a car he rented with a stolen credit card, Moses said. Warrants had been issued by Kentucky authorities, who warned Metro of Anthony's plans.

"He was on a mad dash for Vegas," he said. "It appears as though he had a plan."

After Metro received the information from Kentucky, police contacted security guards at the Flamingo, who began monitoring surveillance cameras for Anthony on Wednesday. They spotted him about 11:30 a.m. Thursday via overhead cameras that scan the lobby, Moses said.

Officers also contacted Anthony's wife, urging her to change rooms. She chose to stay in the room she booked, but hotel officials removed her name from their roster as a security measure, Moses said.

Metro is currently considering other charges against Anthony, who remained at the Clark County Detention Center this morning. Because he did not assault his wife at the scene, he will likely not face attempted murder charges, Moses said.