Published Thursday, June 29, 2023 | 3 p.m.
Updated Thursday, June 29, 2023 | 9:05 p.m.
Spencer McDonald
A West Las Vegas man admitted to killing his grandma, her boyfriend and a maintenance worker at his apartment complex after being apprehended by police Tuesday, according to arrest documents.
Spencer McDonald, 30, lived at the apartment with his grandmother Dina Vail, 80, and her boyfriend Andrew Graden, 43, for about two years.
McDonald told police he killed Vail by bludgeoning and stabbing her while she slept in her bed. He then waited for Graden to return.
As soon as Graden entered the apartment, McDonald killed him in the same way he did his grandma.
“Spencer lived in the apartment for several days and went about his normal activities,” the report says. “He stated he did not get around to disposing the bodies.”
A coworker of Vail was the first to note something was wrong, the report states.
He often gave her rides to the dance studio where she taught ballet and to doctor appointments.
On Monday, he attempted to pick Vail up, as he does every Monday, but no one answered the door after knocking several times.
The man left, thinking she’d received a ride from someone else. He messaged Mcdonald and Graden after Vail never returned for her shift.
He didn’t receive a response. He messaged another family member.
On Tuesday, the family member said McDonald told them that Vail was sick and took the day off.
The coworker drove back to the apartment complex, located in the 9100 block of West Flamingo Road, and asked the leasing office to do a welfare check.
Christopher Brassard, 45, was one of two maintenance workers who attempted a welfare check on the apartment.
Brassard knocked on the door but didn’t receive an answer, the other unnamed worker told police. The two used a master key to enter the apartment.
The worker said he saw what he thought was blood on the floor and on the walls. He then saw McDonald exit the spare bedroom holding what looked like a hammer.
McDonald ran at Brassard and both workers turned to flee.
The worker told police that he saw McDonald hit Brassard with the hammer and heard his co-worker cry out in pain. The worker was then struck in the back but was able to run away from the apartment.
The maintenance worker said he returned to the apartment to find his cell phone and saw Brassard dead inside.
Metro responded to the apartment complex about 9 a.m. after receiving a call that there was a man armed with a large pipe attacking people. Soon after arriving, McDonald was apprehended. He was carrying a large bludgeoning device, known as a “mace,” the report says.
Detectives recovered a large chef’s knife and sword, both with apparent blood on them, while processing the scene, the report states.
A Clark County Coroner’s Office said Thursday that Garden’s cause of death was blunt and sharp force injuries. Brassard died from multiple sharp force injuries and Vail from sharp force injuries of the head, neck and chest. The manner of death was ruled homicide for all three.
McDonald has been charged with three counts of open murder with a deadly weapon and one count of attempted murder with a deadly weapon.
