Police: Man arrested in death owed money for Oxycodone

By Cara McCoy

Wednesday, April 7, 2010 | 1:23 p.m.

The man arrested Tuesday in connection with the death of a man who was found last week inside a pickup truck owed the victim money for illegally sold Oxycodone, a Metro Police report says.

Bryan Dula, 30, is accused in the death of 28-year-old Robert Wagner Jr. of Las Vegas, who was found dead at about 1:30 p.m. April 1 inside a pickup truck in a desert area west of Durango Drive and Wigwam Avenue.

Police said Wagner was attacked with an "edged weapon."

According to the report released Wednesday, in the early morning hours of April 1, Wagner left in his pickup truck to meet with Dula and collect some money Dula owed him.

Wagner’s girlfriend told police she believed he was going to return quickly because he was wearing slippers when he left the home and Dula’s home was only about two miles away, the report said. When he hadn’t returned a few hours later, she called his cell phone but he didn’t answer.

She then called Dula to ask if Wagner had arrived, but he said he never came over. She also called Dula’s brother, who also told her Wagner never arrived at their home, the report said.

Dula’s brother told her over the phone that Dula had cut himself early that morning while sharpening a knife, she told police.

When Wagner hadn’t returned or contacted his family by 11 a.m., they contacted police and began searching for him, the report stated.

When Wagner’s brother learned of the purported meeting with Dula, he became concerned because Wagner had recently “cut Bryan off” for lack of payment for previous deals involving prescription drugs, according to the report. He went looking for Wagner in the area of the Dula home and found his brother’s truck with Wagner inside, dead, in a desert area about half a mile from the residence, the report said.

Homicide detectives responded and interviewed Dula’s brother, who told investigators he and his brother regularly purchased Oxycodone from Wagner. He said his brother owed Wagner about $1,000.

Dula’s brother also told police Dula had left the home in the early morning hours to meet with Wagner, but returned 20 minutes later and said he hadn’t seen him. He noticed Dula had a cut on his hand and helped him bandage it, his brother told police.

Later, police interviewed Dula. He described a series of events that conflicted with what his brother had told detectives. Dula told the investigators Wagner was supposed to come to his home and bring some prescription drugs but never showed up, the report stated. At some point after 5 a.m., Dula began sharpening a knife and cut his right hand, he told police.

An examination of Dula’s truck led investigators to believe Wagner’s attacker might have also been injured, the report said. Bloody fingerprints were found inside the truck and on Monday those prints were positively linked to Dula, the report said.

Upon being arrested, Dula declined to answer any questions about Wagner’s death, the report said.

The report said the investigation remains ongoing and further forensic testing is being conducted.

Dula is being held without bail in the Clark County Detention Center.