Murder charge added against suspect accused in beating of 70-year-old

By Jackie Valley

Friday, Jan. 18, 2013 | 4:08 p.m.

A man who told police he used “jiu-jitsu” and “world-class Kung-fu” to knock out an elderly man has been charged with murder after the victim died.

Prosecutors amended a criminal complaint this week to charge Pedro Sandoval, 30, with murder of a victim 60 years of age or older, in addition to an existing battery charge.

The victim, identified by the Clark County Coroner’s Office as 70-year-old David Meehan, died Jan. 11 at University Medical Center. The cause and manner of his death have not been determined, officials said.

Metro Police arrested Sandoval on Dec. 17 after he allegedly attacked Meehan in the 2100 block of Sandy Lane, near Lake Mead Boulevard and Pecos Road.

The arrest report outlined the following version of events based on interviews with Sandoval and witnesses:

Officers and medical personnel responding to an emergency call in the late morning of Dec. 17 arrived to find Meehan, sprawled in a front yard, bleeding and unconscious.

Witnesses pointed out Sandoval, who was walking away down the street, and after several attempts, police persuaded him to stop.

Sandoval told police “the old man” frequently made threatening statements toward him and, therefore, “every day he asks for it.”

As medical personnel wheeled the victim by toward an ambulance, Sandoval smiled and said, “Look at him. He’s loving it.” When an officer asked what he meant, Sandoval said, “He got what he deserved.”

Sandoval told officers Meehan was holding a knife and had made threatening comments, which prompted Sandoval to use martial-arts techniques to kick Meehan to the ground. Sandoval continued kicking the man “until he started snoring,” he told police.

Sandoval, who told officers he did not think the attack was excessive, said he continued kicking Meehan to protect himself. Afterward, Sandoval changed clothes in a nearby shed.

A female witness, however, disputed Sandoval’s statements to police. The woman told officers Meehan was using a box-cutter to strip wire on an electrical item in the front yard. Sandoval, meanwhile, was sweeping a garage.

Sandoval suddenly began yelling at Meehan and asking him why he was talking to him, but the woman said she had never seen Meehan say anything to Sandoval.

The interaction then escalated, and Sandoval approached the victim, the woman told police.

When Sandoval asked Meehan if he was going to attack him with the knife, the woman said she intervened and told Sandoval, “He isn’t. He is cutting wire. Leave him alone. He isn’t feeling well.”

That’s when Sandoval started punching Meehan repeatedly in the face, causing him to fall to the ground, the woman told officers.

A male witness, who had been working on the side of a house, told police he heard a commotion, came around the corner and saw Sandoval standing over Meehan, who was lying on the driveway.

The man said Sandoval was kicking Meehan, so he pushed Sandoval away and stayed with the victim until medical personnel arrived.

Police recovered Sandoval’s clothing from the shed and noticed what appeared to be blood on it.

Sandoval is incarcerated in the Clark County Detention Center without bail. He appeared Thursday morning in Las Vegas Justice Court, where his preliminary hearing was set for March 8.