Suspect in 2 Las Vegas killings could face death penalty

Prosecutors said Thursday that they would consider the death penalty for a man accused in two killings within nine hours of each other.

Jesus Gonzalez, 42, appeared in Clark County District Court for his first hearing since police accused of him in a second homicide. He was charged with two counts of murder and one count of residential burglary while in possession of a firearm.

Gonzalez was represented Thursday by Ozzie Fumo, who did not respond to a request for comment.

Prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo told District Judge Tierra Jones he would bring the case before his office’s death penalty review committee and deliver the group’s findings to Jones during a hearing on March 9.

Gonzalez was arrested Jan. 13 in connection with the fatal shooting of Ashleigh Figearo, 37. Figearo was found dead around 5:30 p.m. Jan. 8 in her kitchen on the 200 block of North 17th Street.

Police identified Gonzalez because an acquaintance said that she lent him her SUV on Jan. 7 and he never returned it, according to an arrest report from the Metropolitan Police Department released two weeks later. The gun she kept in the trunk was not in the SUV when she found it on Jan. 9.

Police announced on Friday that Gonzalez also was suspected in the killing of Jose Soto, 39. Soto was found just before 3 a.m. on Jan. 9 on the 1800 block of Franklin Avenue.

Metro said Gonzalez chased him up the street firing at him. An arrest report tying him to the crime had not been released as of Thursday.

Gonzalez is being held without bail and is expected to appear in court again March 9.

Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter.