Prosecutors will seek death for suspect in Las Vegas Strip, desert killings
Prosecutors plan to pursue the death penalty for a man accused of killing a woman at a Las Vegas Strip hotel and fatally shooting a man he lured into the desert.
Dandre Owens, 30, was indicted on counts including murder, kidnapping, robbery, possession of document or personal identifying information and ownership or possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, since he was previously convicted of third-degree burglary.
Chief Deputy District Attorney John Giordani said at a Thursday hearing that prosecutors notified the defense they will seek death.
Owens entered a not guilty plea.
In Jan. 2024, Owens lured Edward Kukish to the desert with the ruse of a clean-up project, Chief Deputy District Attorney Michelle Fleck previously said.
“Once he got him out to the desert, he shot him two times in the head, took his cell phone and then he abandoned the body,” she said at a grand jury return hearing last month. “That body was not found for about eight months, until August of 2024.”
Owens is also accused of killing 29-year-old Brittani Bailey, whom he took to the MGM Grand to have sex, according to authorities. That killing also occurred in Jan. 2024.
Fleck said Owens shot her in the back of the head. He was found with a gun that linked to a cartridge case in the desert where Kukish was discovered, she said.
Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BrighamNoble on X.
