Former Las Vegas prosecutor who helped put convicted murderer behind bars talks bombing case; officials not immediately notified about escape
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) -- The prosecutor who helped put convicted murderer Porfirio Duarte-Herrera behind bars for life said he did not learn of the prisoner’s Friday escape until he received a breaking news alert from the 8 News Now Investigators.
“When were you notified that he escaped?” 8 News Now Investigator David Charns asked Dave Stanton, the former chief deputy Clark County District Attorney, on Wednesday.
“By you,” Stanton said.
Duarte-Herrera, 42, was serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole at the Southern Desert Correctional Center for the murder of Willebaldo Dorantes Antonio, who was 24, records showed. The prison is about 40 miles northwest of Las Vegas in the rural community of Indian Springs.
The 8 News Now Investigators first reported the escape around 11 a.m. Tuesday. It was not until after 1 p.m. that NDOC officials issued a news release on the matter, confirming the 8 News Now Investigators' earlier reporting. On Tuesday night, NDOC officials clarified their statement to say Duarte-Herrera actually escaped Friday, not on Tuesday as implied.
Duarte-Herrera used acid to help erode the area securing his cell window so he could climb out, sources said. He also created a cardboard dummy to leave in his cell, the 8 News Now Investigators first reported Tuesday. Duarte-Herrera also sewed a coat in a prison class, which he took with him after his escape, sources said
Several people who were involved in his murder trial and conviction were not notified immediately, sources told the 8 News Now Investigators.
Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske, who sits on the Board of Prison Commissioners with the governor and Attorney General Aaron Ford was not notified until after 8 News Now's reporting, she said in a statement.
"I am outraged that the Department of Corrections did not notify the Board of Prison Commissioners of the escape when it was apparently first discovered this past weekend," she said. "Personally, I found out about it through yesterday’s media posts. We are awaiting the update on the investigation that the governor has ordered, and we hope that the fugitive will be apprehended quickly and without incident. We expect that the Department will take measures to prevent such escapes and failures in communication in the future."
A jury convicted Duarte-Herrera for making a bomb and then planting it on Dorantes Antonio’s car with his co-defendant, Omar Rueda-Denvers, at a parking garage at the Luxor hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. Dorantes Antonio was dating the co-defendant’s girlfriend at the time.
The pipe bomb was placed inside a 7-11 Styrofoam cup, police said. Explosives and other bomb-making materials were in the cup.
“The victim picked it up, the pressure switch was activated, the bomb detonated, and he was killed instantly,” Stanton said.
Police later connected Duarte-Herrera to the murder from video evidence and other items found at the garage.
In October 2006, Duarte-Herrera planted a bomb that exploded in a parking lot at a Home Depot near Charleston and Lamb boulevards, police said. Investigators found components similar to both devices at Duarte-Herrera’s residence, they said.
“This guy's knowledge and use of violence is sophisticated and done without any remorse,” Stanton said Wednesday, adding he believes both men used aliases.
“What do you remember about the trial?” Charns asked.
“My distinct memory is sitting in the well of the courtroom arguing this case to a jury, knowing full well that the name that we were using was an alias and that wasn't really his name and that's why I think, among other reasons that he's going to be difficult to catch,” Stanton said.
With Duarte-Herrera’s history of making bombs, Stanton said those now searching for him are at risk. He added he hoped all those involved in the case, including Dorantes Antonio’s girlfriend and her child were notified in a timely manner.
“She had better been notified by someone so that she can take the appropriate precautions to protect herself and their child,” Stanton said.
The 8 News Now Investigators asked the Department of Corrections if and when it notified the woman and her child and had not received a response as of Wednesday evening.
Duarte-Herrera is considered dangerous.
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