Prosecutors rule self defense in church parking lot stabbing
The Clark County district attorney’s office dropped a murder charge against a 60-year-old man accused in a fatal stabbing, citing self defense.
Brian McLemore was released from the Clark County Detention Center on Tuesday after the prosecutors dismissed the charge, saying McLemore acted in self defense.
“The circumstances surrounding the homicide case have been reviewed by the DA’s office and determined to be self-defense,” the Metropolitan Police Department wrote in a statement to the Review-Journal.
The district attorney’s office did not immediately comment on the case.
McLemore was originally accused of fatally stabbing Melvin Rodriguez, 20, of Las Vegas, in the parking lot of a church at 1101 N. Pecos Road.
A small pool of blood was found in the parking lot, but detectives never referenced the discovery of a weapon in an arrest report.
Detectives found video from several nearby businesses that showed the suspect in the stabbing had tattoos on his back, chest, arms and neck. The video was compared with McLemore’s prior mug shots, according to the arrest report.
McLemore told officers he lived across the street from the church and was out for a bicycle ride that morning. He denied being involved in a fight.
His defense attorney, Ryan Helmick, could not be reached for comment.
Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter.
