Coroner rules ‘homicidal violence’ as cause of death for Las Vegas man

The cause of death for the man whose body was found burned and dismembered in the east valley in December has been determined by the Clark County coroner.

According to the coroner, the cause of Ulyses Cesar Molina’s death was “homicidal violence.” Family members said Molina went by the name “Cezar.”

Homicidal violence is commonly used to describe a cause of death in which the circumstances of the exam and condition of the remains point to homicide, but the exact mechanism of death cannot be determined, Coroner John Fudenberg said.

The term is not commonly used in Clark County, however.

“I don’t know if we’ve ever used it,” Fudenberg said. “I can’t think of a time that we did.”

Molina’s body was found early Dec. 28 by a homeless woman sleeping in a lot on the 2000 block of Dolly Lane, near East Lake Mead Boulevard and Marion Drive. He may have been killed over a complicated love triangle, the Metropolitan Police Departmentsaid.

Anthony Newton, 37, George Malaperdas, 31, and Kelsea Wray Glass, 21, were arrested on charges of murder, conspiracy to commit murder, first-degree kidnapping, conspiracy to commit kidnapping in the first degree, robbery with a deadly weapon and conspiracy to commit robbery, jail records show.

Only a torso and legs were recovered, but a DNA test proved the remains were those of Molina, family said.

Contact Lawren Linehan at llinehan@reviewjournal.com or at 702-383-0381. Follow @lawrenlinehan on Twitter.