Thursday, March 25, 2010 | 5:27 p.m.
Fatal shooting
A Las Vegas man is facing a murder charge in connection with the weekend shooting death of a man at an apartment complex near the Stratosphere.
Anastasio Leon, 59, is being held at the Clark County Detention Center without bail on one count of murder with use of a deadly weapon. He was also booked on a count of trafficking in cocaine, jail records show.
According to a Metro Police arrest report, officers responded Saturday night to a report of a shooting at an apartment complex in the 1500 block of South Casino Boulevard. When officers responded, they found Jesus Cuesta-Morales in the courtyard, suffering from a gunshot wound. He was taken to University Medical Center, where he died, police said.
Police identified Leon as a suspect after interviewing witnesses at the apartment complex. One witness told police she heard an argument followed by gunshots, then she saw a man with a gun.
Investigators learned Leon was staying at the Stratosphere and found him Monday in a hotel room. He was taken to the homicide office for questioning.
After being read his rights, Leon first denied knowledge of the murder but said he knew the victim, the report stated. He later admitted shooting Cuesta-Morales, the report said. Leon told investigators Cuesta-Morales had hit his wife and then called him an insulting name in Spanish.
Leon told police he was drunk and became upset at the insult, so he went into his apartment, got his gun and came back out. He confronted Cuesta-Morales and told him to “say it again,” which Cuesta-Morales did before Leon shot him, Leon told police.
District court records show Leon has several prior convictions on drug charges.
He is scheduled to appear before a judge for a preliminary hearing on April 8.
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