Las Vegas man shot in apartment, body dumped, police say

A man was fatally shot in a central Las Vegas apartment, and his body was disposed at a nearby vacant lot of by a man who helped the killer, according to a Metropolitan Police Department.

The body of Robert Rodriguez, 43, was found tied and wrapped in a tarp April 28 in the 800 block of East Sahara Avenue, west of Maryland Parkway, police said. The Clark County coroner’s office said he died from a gunshot wound to the head.

Police allege that Loth Rodriguez shot him about a week prior.

On May 3, police arrested the 67-year-old suspect and booked him into the Clark County Detention Center on a count of murder. The victim and suspect did not appear to have family ties.

Police reviewed surveillance footage they say showed a man pushing a cart with the victim’s remains.

Two days after Rodriguez’s body was found, police tracked down Gennady Zhuravlyon, 48, who matched the description of the man seen pushing the cart, police said.

He was jailed on unrelated crimes and later charged on a felony count of being an accessory for a felony offender, Las Vegas Justice Court records show.

Police said they spoke to multiple people in the homeless community who had heard about Robert Rodriguez’s killing.

Two people witnessed the shooting at 559 San Pablo Drive, police said. One of them told investigators that Loth Rodriguez had said to not help the victim after he was shot or “you’ll die right next to him,” according to an arrest report.

Loth Rodriguez then gave them $10 to leave, police said.

Loth Rodriguez told police that he had lived in his apartment for about seven years and that he had an open-door policy for unsheltered people, according to the arrest report. He said Robert Rodriguez had arrived at his apartment and started arguing with one of his guests.

A verbal fight between both Rodriguez men ensued, and Loth Rodriguez said he became scared and fired off a round to “scare Rob,” police said.

He said Robert Rodriguez had remained alive for about an hour after he was shot, police said. Loth Rodriguez also said that he had called Zhuravlyon who purportedly told him he had take care of the body.

Loth Rodriguez said the shooting was accidental, but that “I just didn’t care what happened” afterward, the report said.

He is being held without bail and is due for a preliminary hearing on July 11, records show.

Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.