Man gets probation after stabbing another man ‘30 to 40 times’

A man with a history of mental health issues who stabbed another man 30 to 40 times in a downtown Las Vegas parking lot in 2023 was sentenced Monday by a District Court judge to probation.

Dylan Ihmels, 27, will serve a sentence of community supervision not to exceed five years, Ihmels’ attorney, Josh Tomsheck, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Tuesday. Ihmels on March 6 pleaded guilty but mentally ill to one felony count of battery with use of a deadly weapon resulting in substantial bodily harm.

Should he violate the terms of his community supervision, Ihmels, whom Tomsheck said suffers from a mental illness that he declined to provide specifics about, could face anywhere between five to 12 years behind bars.

“Dylan has a documented history of a mental health diagnosis — which I won’t get into the particulars of that — but when he’s symptomatic he is very different than he is normally,” Tomsheck said in a phone interview. “He does not have a criminal history. He is not a violent person, and he’s actually a very high-achieving person.

“But when he has symptoms related to his mental illness,” Tomsheck continued, “he hears things and perceives things and does things differently.”

Argument escalates into fight

A witness told the Metropolitan Police Department in August 2023 she witnessed Ihmels get into an argument with her friend as they were returning to their car parked near Main Street Station, according to an arrest report. The argument escalated into a physical fight, where both Ihmels and the man fought each other to the ground, Ihmels’ arrest report said.

Ihmels ultimately pulled out a small knife and stabbed the man — identified in the March plea agreement as Jesus Zuniga — multiple times. Ihmels later told a police officer the fight began due to “beef over money,” the arrest report stated.

Ihmels and Zuniga were both taken to University Medical Center to be treated for their injuries. Zuniga was treated for stab wounds in both of his arms and about six large stab wounds to his abdomen, according to the arrest report, which said the victim had been stabbed “30 to 40 times.”

Tomsheck told the Review-Journal that Ihmels at the time of the stabbing was on a controlled medication regimen, which had been unknowingly disrupted due to an error by Ihmels’ medical provider. That lapse subsequently caused Ihmels to enter a state of delusion, according to Tomsheck.

“So as a result of that circumstance, Dylan was under the control of a delusion state that caused him to act in a way he normally wouldn’t have,” Tomsheck said. “He was perceiving an abnormal reality and acting accordingly.”

‘He didn’t want to shirk responsibility’

District Judge Christy Craig ruled in April 2024 that Ihmels was not competent to stand trial. After further evaluation, Ihmels began receiving treatment again and returned to competency, Tomsheck said.

While diversionary programs exist in Clark County for those with mental illnesses, Ihmels was not eligible due to the violent nature of the charges brought against him, Tomsheck said.

But because Ihmels had a documented history of mental health struggles before the incident, Tomsheck said he was able to convince Craig and prosecutors to structure the plea deal to resemble a diversionary program.

Since restarting his medication, Ihmels’ behavior has been noticeably different, Tomsheck said.

“He’s very cognizant of what occurred and he didn’t want to shirk responsibility for what he did,” Tomsheck said. “I think everyone recognized that this wasn’t him just committing a violent act for some nefarious motive, and that what he needed rather than going to prison was to be on his medication regimen and supervised in a way we can report to the court. And when he does that he does very well.”

Contact Casey Harrison at charrison@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Casey_Harrison1 on X or @casey-harrison.bsky.social on Bluesky.