Suspect in livestreamed fatal shooting on Strip keeping his lawyer
The suspect in the shooting that killed two people in front of the Bellagio last month has decided to stick with his public defender instead of hiring a private lawyer.
Manuel Ruiz, 41, turned himself in to police after the livestreamed shooting, which killed 44-year-old Rodney Finley and 43-year-old Tanisha Finley.
Prosecutors may pursue the death penalty against Ruiz. He and Rodney Finley were both YouTubers, and police have said the killings stemmed from a long-running social media feud.
Public defender Violet Radosta said at a Thursday hearing that she could officially confirm herself as Ruiz’s lawyer. The defense attorney previously said Ruiz wished to talk to his family about the possibility of hiring a private attorney.
She said Ruiz wanted a preliminary hearing within 15 days. Justice of the Peace Amy Chelini set that hearing for July 21.
Radosta also indicated authorities have collected a large amount of evidence. She told the court there are approximately four terabytes of material in discovery.
According to Dropbox, a terabyte could hold about 6.5 million pages of documents or 250,000 photos.
Ruiz has claimed he acted in self-defense, though no guns were found at the scene and he fled after the shooting, according to police.
Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BrighamNoble on X.
