Victims’ Tragic Deaths at Circus Circus Hotel Lead to Life-or-Death Sentencing Phase
A Clark County jury found Julius Damiano Deangilo Trotter guilty on Tuesday for the 2018 murders of Sang Boi Nghia, 38, and Khoung Ba Le Nguyen, 30, two Vietnamese tour leaders, at the Circus Circus hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. The two victims were stabbed in their hotel room in June 2018, and Trotter, 37, now faces the possibility of life imprisonment or the death penalty.
Conviction Follows Two-Week Trial and Evidence Review
Trotter’s conviction comes after two weeks of testimony and a swift jury deliberation that took just three hours. The jury returned with unanimous guilty verdicts on charges of murder, burglary, and armed robbery. During the trial, jurors saw surveillance footage of Trotter in the hotel with a backpack allegedly containing items stolen from the victims, including cash, jewelry, and other personal belongings.
The victims, Nghia and Nguyen, were found dead on June 1, 2018, after missing a scheduled tour activity. Nghia was a tour business owner from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, while Nguyen worked for her as an employee. Both were traveling with a tour group at the time of the incident.
Investigation and Arrest
Following the murders, police identified Trotter as a suspect and, after a weeklong investigation, apprehended him and his girlfriend, Itaska Dean, in Chino, California, after a police chase. Trotter had been on probation for a separate felony charge when he was arrested.
Dean pleaded guilty to evading arrest in California but was not charged with involvement in the murders. During Trotter’s trial, she testified for the prosecution. Trotter claimed that items found in his possession were given to him by a friend, but prosecutors argued that he was caught on hotel security cameras carrying a backpack with belongings from the victims’ room.
Defense Questions Forensic Evidence
Defense attorney Lisa Rasmussen pointed out that DNA or fingerprints linking Trotter to the hotel room were absent. Rasmussen also argued that while Trotter had a criminal history, the physical evidence was insufficient to prove his involvement in the double homicide. Prosecutors, however, described the victims as “completely innocent people” who were brutally attacked without provocation.
Sentencing Phase Begins
The same jury that convicted Trotter is now tasked with determining his sentence. The penalty phase, which began immediately after the guilty verdicts, will include testimony and evidence for the jury to consider whether Trotter should face life in prison or the death penalty.