Woman to stand trial in slaying

By Matt Pordum (contact)

Friday, Oct. 1, 2004 | 9:13 a.m.

A woman accused of getting her friend to kill a man she suspected of burglarizing her apartment will stand trial, Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Jim Gubler ruled on Thursday.

The case involves the May 4 killing of Marc Somers, 26, in the parking lot of the Ice Las Vegas nightclub near Harmon Avenue and Koval Lane.

Julia Jarrell, 34, is scheduled for arraignment Oct. 14 before District Judge Valorie Vega on charges of murder with use of a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit kidnapping and first-degree kidnapping with use of a deadly weapon.

The focus of Jarrell's preliminary hearing rested on the testimony of Ramon Iniguez, the man police say she hired to murder Somers.

Iniguez said Jarrell never told him to kill Somers, but instead said to "hold him hostage so we could get her stuff back."

Iniguez said Jarrell took him to the Ice Las Vegas parking lot and "gave me a gun and told me if he (Somers) runs shoot him."

Prosecutors say witnesses have identified Jarrell as the driver of a black-colored Altima that Iniguez brought to the club.

Iniguez said Somers came to the parking lot for a drug deal, a plan police say Jarrell devised to confront Somers about property she believed he took from her. Iniguez said that once Somers realized it wasn't a drug deal, Somers got out of the car and pulled a gun on Iniguez.

"All I wanted was her (Jarrell's) stuff back," Iniguez said. "All he (Somers) had to do was tell me where it was and he could have walked away."

Iniguez said he only shot Somers in self-defense after Somers pulled a gun and came after him.

"His (Somer's) gun jammed, mine didn't so I shot him," Iniguez said. "He ran at me and I shot eight more times at him."

Iniguez said that after the shooting he drove away with Jarrell to the Ellis Island casino, where he threw the gun on the roof, then played keno with Jarrell.

Iniguez said he had been friends with Jarrell for roughly three years, and that Jarrell would "get me high, buy my kids presents at Christmas, buy them diapers and bailed me out of jail."

"I guess we were good friends. I shot someone for her, right?" Iniguez said.

Jarrell filed a burglary report with Metro Police after her apartment was broken into on April 21. She listed the stolen property as a plasma television, diamond ring, $2,500 cash and a .45-caliber handgun, and told police she suspected Somers and his girlfriend.

The police report alleges Jarrell began offering $1,000 to anyone who could get her property back from Somers. Through mutual friends, a meeting was set up between Jarrell and Somers so she could ask him about her belongings.

Prosecutors allege Jarrell gave Iniguez $100 after the shooting.

As part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, Iniguez pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder and one count of second-degree kidnapping for the Somers killing. Iniguez was sentenced to 10 years to life in prison for second-degree murder and a consecutive six to 15 years in prison for the kidnapping charge. Pursuant to negotiations, he agreed to testify against Jarrell at Thursday's hearing.