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Monday, Dec. 31, 2012 | 2:04 p.m.
David Settle
Scene of double homicide
A resident of a Las Vegas assisted living group home used a hammer to bludgeon two people to death overnight Saturday at the home, left to purchase a bottle of wine and cigars, returned and unsuccessfully tried to kill himself, a Metro Police report says.
David Settle, 68, was arrested on two counts of murder with a deadly weapon and is in custody at the Clark County Detention Center. He is being held without bond.
Settle is accused of attacking and killing 82-year-old male resident and a 59-year-old female caretaker at the group home, 3709 W. Washington Ave. The police report identifies the resident as Henry Namett and the caregiver as Elenita Ablao.
Police were called to the home about 4:40 a.m. after ambulance workers had responded and found the two deceased.
Upon arrival, police noted the deceased male in a recliner in the living room; the deceased female was in the corner of one of the bedrooms. In the same bedroom, according to the report, a man who identified himself as Settle sat wearing only a diaper.
The police report lays out Settle’s version of the night’s events:
Settle told police he first hit Namett about 20 times in the head with a hammer he had gotten from a drawer near the kitchen. Settle then called out to Ablao, who was in her bedroom.
When Ablao entered the room, Settle struck her several times in the head with the hammer, knocking her to the ground. Ablao told Settle to stop, but he continued to strike her until she, too, was dead.
Another resident was in the room, but Settle told police the man sleeps with a blanket over his head, so Settle left him alone.
After the attacks, Settle gathered about $6 in coins from the fireplace mantel. With the coins and $7 of his own, he walked down Washington to a Walgreens store at 900 N. Rancho Drive, where he bought a bottle of Yellow Tail merlot and five Swisher Sweets cigars. He crossed the street to a 7-Eleven store, bought a cup of coffee, then took the bus back toward the home, about a mile away.
Back home, he opened the wine bottle with a knife, then cut the inside of both of his ankles. He climbed into a bathtub, fully clothed, and tried to knock himself out by hitting himself in the head with both the wine bottle and the hammer. Eventually he gave up, stripped and returned to his bed until police arrived.
Police said the hammer, wine bottle and some cigars were found in the bathroom; the change and a knife were found in the dining room. Red rings from the wine bottle were apparent on the tablecloth. Video from the 7-Eleven and Walgreens confirmed Settle’s purchases.
Asked why he killed the resident and the caretaker, Settle offered no explanation to police. He said he liked both. Namett, Settle said, would wave at him; Ablao cooked his meals.
Another great example of why we need to do a much better job with mental health care in this country.
Just brutal. What is this world coming to?
Was this a semi-automatic hammer or full auto illegaly purchased at a hammer show?
If someone other law abiding citizen was armed with a legal concealed hammer then the outcome of this story may have been quite different. This is what happens when you have 'hammer free zones,' people just waiting to be bludgeoned by a wolf with a framers hammer. Go to Home Depot or Lowes and good luck finding a hammer or nails, they've sold out in a rush in fear of the looming assault hammer ban.
We need a new law to address this trend. Maybe we can make murder illegal, especially when a hammer is used. Then nobody would ever do something like this again.
The unsettling trend in extreme seemingly senseless murders is there's not always a motive. At least not an obvious one. The New Town Shootings, still not a very clear motive. This....who knows? It's disturbing. If there were a motive at least it would make sense. This is just senseless violence, and we dont know why.
The prevailing theory in Newtown is Adam Lanza's mother was in talks to have her son committed to a mental health facility. He may have found out about this and took matters into his own hands. His mother had also been a volunteer at Sandy Hook years prior and had very fond memories of interacting with the children there...possibly infuriating her son into some sort of retribution. At least that's what I've heard. Senseless, yes, but as screwed up as it is I guess it might provide some answers. This case is puzzling in that the murderer has admitted no ill will. This one may never have any kind of answer.
Tom D.....as well as that picture fits the Adam Lanza story, I see no evidence to substantiate the claims you're making. We dont know that his mother was trying to have him committed. If she was did she tell him? If so, why take it out on kids at a school? Why not her current friends she socialized with? There's multiple news reports of her frequenting a coffee house and pizza parlor, but not this school in any recorded or recent history. A member of the school board said Nancy Lanza wasn't recently affiliated with the school.... It's still questionable why he really did what he did, where, and to whom.
The news also says he destroyed his computer. Which for the size of any machine, all you have to do is take out a small chip the size of your thumb nail and destroy it, think hammer it in to pieces, to remove the information on a computer. It seems he didn't want his information checked after the fact. He must have destroyed that part of the computer to make his computer usage untraceable through the computer itself. If he had a web foot print it can be looked up by the machines unique ip address, but that would be rather pain staking. Thinking ahead shows motive. But as to why he decided that school, that day, those people, still a mystery.
Unsolved crimes, and crimes with no motive haunt people. How can you understand how to solve a problem when no impetus is found?
@Ashley
Numerous media outlets are reporting she "may" have been trying to have him committed. Media outlets have also reported she volunteered at Sandy Hook at some point in years prior and had been interacting with kindergarten or 1st grade students during that time. Friends reported she had good memories. If you want to wait for the official report, fine....but if true, the pieces do fit. Anger at his mother and anger at the place where she professed enjoying the time she spent with young children (jealousy)....see the report of the Bellagio dealer as an example of the need to lash out at those who are held near and dear)
I am glad that people commenting here at the Sun understand the crisis in mental health, care for our elderly and the struggles of care givers.
Unfortunately the other paper in town has all kinds of heartless comments relating "banning hammers" and "it's hammer time!" etc. How can a society move forward on such important issues when the hate and cynicism from Drudge, Limbaugh and others are so pervasive.
Anyone think people can be rehabilitated or "taught" to co-exist with others? Face it, some must be institutionalized and/or incarcerated forever.
Ashley: please accept that it is now PC to NOT use Perpetrators names--no recognition, in any form, that these people think their names will be remembered forever if they do things bad enough. No encouragement for potential perpetrators.
With a hammer he killed two. With a Bushmaster, he could have killed 20 or more. Does that ring a bell?