A man accused in a series of stabbings on the Las Vegas Strip in October of 2022 that left two people dead and six injured has agreed to a plea deal that will result in him spending the rest of his life in prison, without the possibility of parole.
One of the victims was a Calgary man, Brent Hallett, who was stabbed to death, in what prosecutors say was an unprovoked attack, as he and his wife were walking along a sidewalk.
Brett Hallett of Calgary was stabbed to death in October of 2022 in an unprovoked attack while walking along the Las Vegas strip with his wife Carmelita.
Photo supplied to Global News
Police say the attack — with a foot-long kitchen knife — began when 34-year old Yoni Barrios asked if he could take a photo with a group of Vegas showgirls.
But when some of them backed away, investigators say, Barrios thought they were laughing at him and making fun of his clothing.
Police say Barrios then ran down a sidewalk, attacking people and he was arrested after a short chase.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, Barrios will avoid the death penalty.
His lawyer, Scott Coffee, said the plea agreement “recognizes what everybody in the system knew — that this was the result of mental illness that caused paranoia.”
Las Vegas Strip stabbing spree suspect Yoni Barrios makes a court appearance in Las Vegas in October 2022.
K.M. Cannon/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP
Hallett was killed after he and his wife took early retirement and decided to travel the world, with stops in Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore before ending up in Las Vegas.
The couple was just days away from returning to Alberta.
Police at the scene where multiple people were stabbed in front of Las Vegas casino in October 2022.
Rachel Aston/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
Hallett’s widow, Carmelita, has set up an animal welfare charity in his memory — called the Jumpy Animal Welfare Foundation.
It has a focus on rabbits, because Hallett, who was allergic to cats, loved rabbits and had one as a pet when he was a child.
— with files from The Associated Press.