Sister of slain dancer removed from courtroom after outburst

By Dave Toplikar

Published Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011 | 8:58 a.m.

Updated Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2011 | 1:43 p.m.

A North Las Vegas courtroom erupted in an outburst of emotion Wednesday morning as the sister of a slain Las Vegas dancer shouted obscenities at her sister's ex-boyfriend during his arraignment on murder charges.

"You (expletive) rotten Jason! (Expletive)! For what you did to her!" Celeste Flores Narvaez screamed at Jason Griffith at the end of the court proceeding.

Griffith, 32, a dancer in Cirque du Soleil's "Love" show at the Mirage, had just been charged with murder, battery constituting domestic violence - strangulation, and destroying evidence in the death of Luxor "Fantasy" dancer Debora Flores Narvaez.

Missing since Dec. 12, she was found Saturday by Metro Police, her dismembered body encased in cement in two plastic tubs in a Las Vegas apartment, according to a police report.

"I hope you rot in hell!" Celeste Flores Narvaez shouted at Griffith, who stood wearing a blue jumpsuit, shackled in handcuffs attached to his waist. "I hope you rot in jail!"

Celeste Flores Narvaez, who is from Atlanta, had been in Las Vegas for weeks searching for her sister, distributing fliers to help in the search effort.

She initially sat on one side of the court, then moved to the other side, closer to where Griffith stood with his public defender, Jeff Banks.

Crying as she was escorted out of the courtroom by a court marshal, Flores Narvaez walked quickly out of the building, trailed by a stream of media with video cameras and audio recorders.

She stopped briefly outside the courtroom building, where she hugged a friend. The pair then walked away from reporters, got into a car and left, waiving off reporters.

Hours later, Celeste Flores Narvaez apologized to the court and judge for her outburst during a news conference.

"I felt so bad because I would never want to disrespect the judge," she said. "... I didn't know it until I stepped out and I realized what I had done."

Before the outburst, Judge Chris Lee had set the date for Griffith's preliminary hearing as 9 a.m. Feb. 15.

Griffith is being held without bail on the murder charge.

The Clark County Coroner's Office ruled Tuesday that Debora Flores Narvaez's death was the result of asphyxiation due to neck compression.

The police report indicates Griffith's roommate, Louis Colombo, said Griffith killed Flores Narvaez and that he helped Griffith try to dispose of the body.

Colombo, who has not been arrested, told police the two of them first encased the body in concrete in a large plastic tub. Colombo told police they tried to store it at a friend's apartment, but the woman refused when she was told that Florez Narvaez was in the tub.

Colombo told police he and Griffith then decided to break the body out of the large plastic tub and dismember it so it would fit into two smaller plastic tubs. They filled the two tubs with concrete and stored them in an apartment near Bonanza Drive and Las Vegas Boulevard, according to the police report.

Police learned the location of the body after the woman came to them and then they questioned Colombo, who gave them the location, the police report said.

Celeste Flores Narvaez said police told her Colombo has not been arrested or charged yet because he served as a key witness, but she said she hopes he is held accountable for his alleged role in the disposal of her sister's body.

Acknowledging the anguish the murder has caused the family, Celeste Flores Narvaez said it serves as a reminder that women need to speak up for themselves. She wishes "Debbie," as her sister was known to family and friends, would have told someone about the abuse.

"There is always a way out," she said. "It doesn't have to be like this."