Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Man arrested in home invasion arraigned on murder charge

Gregory Hover - arraignment (2-12-10)

Bandaged after a failed suicide attempt, Gregory Hover, center, waits to be called by Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Joseph Sciscento during an arraignment hearing Friday, Feb. 12, 2010, at the Regional Justice Center.   Hover is facing multiple felony counts including murder, kidnapping and robbery in connection with the Jan. 25 violent home invasion of Julio and Roberta Romero. Launch slideshow »

The second person arrested in connection with a violent home invasion in southwest Las Vegas, 18-year-old Richard Freeman, was arraigned this morning in Las Vegas Justice Court.

Freeman was booked last week on several felony counts stemming from his alleged involvement with 38-year-old Gregory Hover, a process server who worked for a legal firm serving civil papers.

Hover was arrested Feb. 6 and charged in connection with an attack in the early morning hours of Jan. 25 that left Julio Romero, 64, dead and his wife, Roberta Romero, seriously wounded. An amended criminal complaint naming the two men as co-defendants was filed in court Tuesday.

Both men each are charged with conspiracy to commit robbery, burglary with a deadly weapon, two counts of robbery with a deadly weapon, murder with a deadly weapon, two counts of first-degree kidnapping with a deadly weapon, attempted murder with a deadly weapon, battery with a deadly weapon resulting in substantial bodily harm and burglary.

A report released detailing Hover’s arrest indicates Freeman was with Hover the night the Romeros were attacked. Freeman reportedly told police he had been in Hover’s car several blocks away and heard muffled gunshots come from the area of the Romeros’ home.

A bail hearing for both men, who are being held without bail in the Clark County Detention Center, is scheduled for Friday.

Hover is accused of returning to the Romeros' home, near the intersection of Jones Boulevard and Russell Road, in the early morning hours of Jan. 25, a few hours after he had been there in an attempt to find another man who Hover said owed $10,000 in a civil matter.

Police say Hover shot Julio Romero dead, then robbed Roberta Romero at gunpoint before ushering her into a bedroom closet while he raided dresser drawers.

While Roberta Romero was in the closet, Hover opened the door and shot her in the face. She called 911 after the intruder left her home.

Roberta Romero remains hospitalized but her condition is improving, attorneys said today.

A preliminary hearing in the case is set for Feb. 26.

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