Posted on: December 14, 2022, 05:11h.
Final up to date on: December 14, 2022, 06:15h.
A person suspected of stabbing Las Vegas resident Marcos Rocha to loss of life within the early hours of December 3 was traced through his participant rewards card, Metro Police have stated.
Joshua Billings, above, was tracked through surveillance footage and his participant rewards card. He denied murdering Marcos Rocha when arrested by Metro Police final Thursday. (Picture: FOX5 Vegas)
Joshua Billings, 27, was arrested final Thursday and booked into the Clark County Detention Middle on a cost of open homicide.
Metro Police have been referred to as to an alley of 1300 Sombrero Drive December 3, close to the intersection of South Maryland Parkway and East Desert Inn Highway. There they discovered Rocha slumped close to a dumpster with an obvious stab wound. The sufferer was unresponsive. Some purchasing luggage with groceries spilled have been discovered round his physique. His cellular phone and pockets have been lacking.
Police additionally observed bloody footprints and droplets of blood main away from the scene, in response to Billings’ arrest report.
Path of Blood
Investigators collated surveillance footage from three completely different places shut by and rapidly recognized an individual of curiosity.
This particular person was seen crossing paths with Rocha close to the Desert Inn and Maryland Parkway intersection shortly after midnight. The determine is subsequent seen following Rocha as he walks by means of a Dawn Hospital parking zone towards the realm the place the homicide occurred.
Crucially, investigators additionally discovered safety footage from Bert’s Gaming, a close-by dive bar with video poker and keno. This appeared to indicate the identical particular person playing on the bar at round 11.30 p.m.
The determine was recognized by his participant card info as Joshua Billings.
When investigators ultimately tracked Billings down at an handle that didn’t match the one on his data, they discovered droplets of blood resulting in the entrance door which matched these discovered on the homicide scene.
Billings was sporting a hat equivalent to the person seen within the surveillance video. They discovered blood on the brim of the hat and a minimize on his proper index finger.
Denies Homicide
In line with his arrest report, Billings agreed to be taken to Metro Police headquarters to be interviewed. He admitted he was within the space on the time and confirmed he was the individual within the photos. However he denied stabbing anybody. He advised investigators he was drunk that evening.
The sufferer’s mom, Martha Santos, advised 8NewsNow final week that her son was “only a good child with a superb coronary heart,” who “helped all people.”
“He was all the time attempting to get all people to start out dancing,” she stated, including that she was struggling to know why anybody would wish to harm him.
Billings is scheduled to look in courtroom for a bail listening to December 20.
