Bus stabbing suspect could face death penalty
Prosecutors plan to seek the death penalty against a convicted felon accused of fatally stabbing another man on an Regional Transportation Commission bus, according to court records filed this week.
Aaron Cole, 59, faces one count of murder with use of a deadly weapon, in connection with the Feb. 26 slaying of Dominque Lucas, 30.
In seeking capital punishment, prosecutors said that at the time of the stabbing Cole was on parole after having served 23 years in prison in Texas for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Cole also faces a separate charge of assault with a deadly weapon in Clark County. In mid-February, authorities said, Cole threatened to attack someone with a knife. He was arrested and had been released on his own recognizance two days prior to stabbing Lucas, authorities said.
According to a Metropolitan Police Department arrest report, on the evening of Feb. 26, Lucas and Cole began quarreling while riding a RTC bus somewhere near the intersection of Sands Avenue and Paradise Road.
After Cole made a “stabbing motion” at Lucas, Lucas ran to the front of the bus and told the bus driver he thought Cole was going to kill him, according to police.
Cole ran to the front of the bus and repeatedly stabbed Lucas, then returned to his seat, police said at the time. After the bus driver found a safe spot to pull over, on the 3500 block of South Paradise Road, Cole then returned to Lucas and stabbed him again, while the victim lay on the floor. Arriving officers arrested Cole, while Lucas later died in the hospital.
In seeking the death penalty, prosecutors pointed to Cole’s criminal history, as well as the “torture and mutilation of the victim,” noting that Cole stabbed Lucas more than 30 times, many of which were done after Lucas was already incapacitated. They also called the killing “random and without apparent motive,” noting that Cole and Lucas had no connection before the attack.
Contact Justin Razavi at jrazavi@reviewjournal.com. Follow @justin_razavi on Twitter.
