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Authorities have charged Jason Griffith in the death of dancer Debora Flores Narvaez.
By Jackie Valley (contact) 
Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012 | 12:20 p.m.
The trial for Jason Griffith, the man accused of killing Luxor dancer Debora Flores Narvaez and dismembering her body, has been postponed for a third time.
District Judge Kathleen Delaney granted a motion to continue the trial, which had been set to start next week, to allow the defense more time to gather evidence.
Delaney also acknowledged a scheduling issue with the trial date: She’s in middle of a stack of civil cases inherited from Judge Linda Bell, in addition to Delaney’s existing criminal cases. Bell has transferred court duties. The Griffith murder case became Delaney’s, as well, after former District Judge Donald Mosley retired earlier this year.
“I really don’t have the luxury of having the trial go forward right now,” Delaney said.
The scheduling conflict likely came as a relief to Griffith’s defense team, which includes deputy public defenders Abel Yanez and Jeff Banks.
Before Delaney issued her decision, Yanez argued the defense needed more time to secure witnesses from Maryland and other states who could testify about the victim’s alleged violent past, thereby establishing Flores Narvaez as the aggressor.
“We’re not the state. We’re not a police agency, so everyone looks at our requests for information with a suspicious eye,” Yanez told the judge. “There are several hoops we have to jump through to get that information.”
Yanez said the defense also was waiting for a report from the FBI’s National Crime Information Center — an item Delaney countered may never come.
Marc DiGiacomo, chief deputy district attorney, disagreed with the defense’s assertions, arguing there have been plenty of opportunities to review necessary files of information.
“They have provided not a single reason to this court to continue this case,” DiGiacomo said.
When Delaney issued her decision, she made it clear she didn’t intend to offer further trial continuances if the defense continued to run into problems obtaining the NCIC report.
A new trial date has not been set. Delaney asked the prosecution and defense teams to bring their calendars to a pre-trial motion hearing at 9 a.m. Aug. 22, at which time they also can discuss trial dates.
Griffith, who appeared in court in standard blue jail attire, remained silent throughout the calendar call. Metro Police arrested Griffith, 33, in January 2011 after the body of Flores Narvaez, his ex-girlfriend, was found encased in concrete at a downtown residence.
Griffith’s roommate, Louis Colombo, told police he helped Griffith try to dispose of Flores Narvaez’s body after Griffith killed Flores Narvaez, police said.
Flores Narvaez, a dancer in Luxor’s “Fantasy” show, was reported missing Dec. 12 after she failed to show for a dance practice. Griffith was a dancer in “Love” at the Mirage.
I just keep thinking of all the taxpayer money being flushed while this filth continues to get a delay. Is this animal being represented by a court appointed attorney?
Convict
Then execute
Stop wasting time with delays. To strangle someone you need to be holding their neck for minutes, not seconds.
trial delays why does this happen in the whole usa its ridiculous .the guy from fort hood hasnt gone to trial,gerald loughner and others. this was a nice lady and to be killed like this this guy is a worthless piece of crap
This was the second or third time there was violence in this relationship. She had a previous lawsuit against another boyfriend for a violent confrontation. There were accusations of tire slashing and other physical encounters as well. She deserved better than this. There are plenty of nice guys out there. She got involved with a known abuser. Girls need to run as far and fast away from these losers.
This woman did NOT deserve to be murdered by this man.It is a horrible way to die and she must have been so terrified as she struggled to breathe.
But those who claim that she was a "nice lady" obviously don't know the facts of this case. She wasn't a "nice" girl. She was a known con artist who targeted several old men for their money. She was physically aggressive. She had been arrested twice for physically assaulting the man who ended up killing her. She had assaulted her ex-boyfriends as well. I saw a video the defendant had made of her where she admitted she had slashed his tires and destroyed some of his other property. She also admitted she had been stalking him because he had been keeping some distance from her.
I say this not to defend her killer or disparage a dead woman. I think a lesson can be learned by this tragedy. So many couples are addicted to relationship drama. They find the extreme highs and lows of the relationship to be exciting. Many verbally abuse each other on a regular basis which can (obviously) lead to physical abuse.
This couple knew they were not a good match but chose to still see each other. While the victim here did not deserve to be murdered, she is not blameless in her own death.