Police probe 2 killings

Jen Lawson

Thursday, March 17, 2005 | 10:04 a.m.

Metro Police are investigating two unrelated homicides that occurred Wednesday evening.

The first took place about 5:40 p.m. when 32-year-old Raymond Koterba of Las Vegas was robbed and beaten by several people on a sidewalk in the 3800 block of Mountain Vista Street, Sgt. Ken Hefner said.

Police found Koterba's body in the parking lot of the Saratoga Palms apartment complex. He apparently had been severely beaten, Hefner said.

No arrests had been made in connection with the case as of this morning, police said.

Another homicide occurred about 9:20 p.m. in an apartment at the Enclave complex at 8455 W. Sahara Ave. near Decatur Boulevard.

Homicide Lt. Tom Monahan said a 24-year-old woman went to the door of an apartment and asked the married couple inside if she could come in.

The couple let her inside, thinking she needed help, Monahan said. The woman began rambling incoherently and held a large butcher knife in a threatening manner.

The man grabbed a handgun and ordered the woman to leave, Monahan said. The woman allegedly attacked the wife and the husband shot and killed the woman with the knife, Monahan said.

Homicide detectives interviewed the dead woman's husband, who said his wife had been displaying signs of mental illness over the past few days, but she was not being treated for mental illness and did not have a history of mental illness.

Police determined that the man who shot her acted in self-defense, so he was not arrested. The investigation packet will be forwarded tot he district attorney's office for their review.

Police said they investigate at least five homicides per year that are determined to be self-defense not including the cases in which police kill people.