Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Crime:

Nevada Supreme Court overturns attempted murder charge of Las Vegas man

The Nevada Supreme Court has reversed the conviction on four charges — including attempted murder — for a Las Vegas man accused of planning to kill his wife.

But the court let stand the count of solicitation to commit murder for Jorge Vazquez, also known as Jorge Victorino-Vazquez, 33, and sent the case back to Clark County District Court.

Vazquez was accused of hiring an undercover police detective for $2,000 to kill Vazquez's wife, ransack their home and beat him so he appeared to also be a victim. According to court documents, there were three meetings between Vazquez and the undercover agent to kill Marisela Sandoval, now the ex-wife of Vazquez.

The court, in overturning the attempted murder charge, said the evidence shows Vazquez intended to murder his wife, but it does not show that he made an overt act towards committing her murder.

"The crime of attempted murder requires both the intent to commit murder and the performance of an overt act for purposes of attempted murder," the court decision said.

The court also dismissed two of three burglary counts and one child endangerment conviction against Vasquez, who is now housed at High Desert State Prison.

It sent the case back to Clark County Judge Carolyn Ellsworth for conviction on the solicitation charge and for sentencing. The jury found Vazquez guilty of the solicitation count, but Ellsworth suspended that conviction while the appeal was made to the Supreme Court.

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