Murder-plot suspects with ties to club will stand trial

Annie Flanzraich

Tuesday, June 14, 2005 | 9:44 a.m.

Three people who allegedly participated in a plot to kill a man who bad-mouthed a strip club will stand trial, a Boulder City judge ruled Monday.

Anabel Espindola, 33, and Luis Hidalgo III, 24, are accused of hiring 24-year-old Deangelo Carroll, a Palomino Club employee, and Kenneth Counts, 29, to shoot Timothy J. Hadland for $6,000. Hadland's body was found May 19 on North Shore Road at Lake Mead with fliers for the Palomino Club scattered around his body.

Boulder City Justice Court Judge Victor Miller ruled Monday that there was enough evidence to send Espindola, the club's manager and girlfriend of the club owner, Hidalgo III, the son of the club owner, and Counts to trial. Carroll waived his right to a preliminary hearing and automatically goes to trial.

The four will stand trial on charges of murder with the use of a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit murder, and solicitation to commit murder.

A police report alleged that the owner of the club, Luis Hidalgo Jr., told Carroll he "wanted to hire someone to take care of Timothy Hadland."

Hadland was allegedly telling cabbies bad things about the all-nude club and that was seen as hurting business, according to police. He was also allegedly saying bad things about the club owner.

Carroll allegedly contacted Counts to work with him. Prosecutors say Espindola and Hidalgo III orchestrated the plot. Hidalgo Jr. has not been charged in connection to the crime.

On the night of the killing, Carroll set up a meeting with Hadland at a stop sign on a road near Lake Mead. Hadland was camping in the area with his girlfriend, according to police.

Carroll and three others drove out to the lake in a minivan and on the way Espindola allegedly called Carroll and told him to go through with the plan only if Hadland was alone.

Rontae Zone, 19, who was in the car with Carroll and Counts said he saw Counts sneak around the van and shoot Hadland after Hadland got out of his car.

Zone said it was too dark to see anything except the sparks from the gun. After two bullets were fired the group got back in the car and drove away, Zone said.

There is a warrant out for Jayson "JJ" Taoipu. Police believe he was a passenger of the vehicle and connected with the slaying.

Detective Michael McGrath said Hadland was shot twice in the head.

McGrath said he found Carroll by looking through the call history of a cell phone that was on the floorboard of the driver's side of Hadland's vehicle. McGrath said the last phone call was from some one named Deangelo and a phone number trace determined it came from a cell phone connected to Espindola.

In court Monday, prosecutors played recordings of conversations taped surreptitiously on May 23 and 24 by Carroll who was under police surveillance. Police officers placed a recording device on Carroll when he went to talk to Espindola and Hidalgo III at Simone's Auto Plaza on Sunset and Bermuda roads.

On the tapes, the contents of which were scratchy and difficult to understand, Espindola and Carroll apparently discussed what the plan was for the night of May 19. Carroll told Espindola that "what's done is done. You wanted him (expletive) taken care of and we took care of him."

In response Espindola said to Carroll that he should not have gone through with the plan with three other people in the car.

"When I found out you had to gone out to the lake and there are four people in the car, I told you to go the Plan B," she said.

In another conversation Espindola and Hidalgo apparently discussed getting rid of the other witnesses in the car, saying that they should save killing Counts for last. They apparently talked about putting rat poison in gin or in a marijuana joint to poison the witnesses to the crime.

Because Carroll waived his right to a preliminary hearing, he could not be called to the stand so the defense or district attorneys were unable to question him Monday. That was a sticking point for the three lawyers on the defense team Chris Oram, Kristina Wildeveld and Robert Draskovich. They took issue with not being able to question Carroll about the conversations he recorded.

"Obviously quantity has nothing to do with quality," Draskovich said. "We've heard a bunch of things that were disjoined and unrelated."

Miller said that wasn't enough of an issue to prevent him from sending the case to district court for trial.

"I think we still meet the burden that we have here in a preliminary hearing," Miller said.

Miller was to rule on bail for all four defendants later today. The defense suggested a $50,000 bail with house arrest for Counts, Espindola and Hidalgo. Carroll's attorney asked for a reasonable bail.