Man killed by nephew who claimed uncle was committing genocide, police say

A 27-year-old man killed his uncle with a 10-pound barbell weight and stuffed the body in his closet, then claimed to police he acted in self-defense because his uncle had been committing genocide and murder in coordination with the military, United Nations, and president of the United States, according to an arrest report.

Jorge Portell, 27, was arrested on a charge of open murder in the June 27 killing of Leonell Blandon, 56, at the mobile home they shared with other family members at 4470 East Vegas Valley Drive in east Las Vegas near South Lamb Boulevard and Boulder Highway.

According to a Metropolitan Police Department arrest report, Portell’s mother, whose name was redacted from the report, called police to say that Portell had beaten or assaulted her brother, Blandon.

While at work that day, she had received a call from Blandon, who told her that Portell had been throwing chairs and other things at him.

In an attempt to calm the situation, the woman went home. When she arrived, the arrest report said, she saw blood on the floor and wall of the mobile home. Portell was cleaning it up.

She asked her son where Blandon was, and Portell would not tell her, the report stated.

When an officer asked Portell what was going on, Portell said he followed “the rules of engagement,” and had acted in self-defense, the report stated. He then told the officer his uncle was dead in Portell’s closet.

As more officers arrived, Blandon was found in a closet that had been barricaded with a glass table and other items, police said. He was pronounced dead.

In an interview with police, Portell’s mother said she had taken in Blandon, who had been homeless in California, a week or two earlier. She described him as “very mellow” and said he had recently been hired at a McDonald’s on Boulder Highway.

The woman also told police that Portell had a drug problem since 14, and that he had been abusive to a woman he had had a baby with, as well as a history of violent behavior, jail time, and undisclosed medical condition for which he wasn’t taking medicine.

In an interview with police, Portell claimed to have acted in self-defense because his uncle was involved in a “coordinated attack which included money laundering, and assassinations” involving the “military, classified branches, United Nations and the President of the United States.”

Portell told police he hit Blandon, then followed him into a bedroom. The two fought, and at one point Blandon “got out into a hallway,” but Portell caught up with him, “took him down” and “did not allow him to leave.”

Portell said he then picked up the barbell weight and hit Blandon ten to fifteen times and “smashed” in Blandon’s skull. He then dragged Blandon to the closet.

Court records show that Portell faces charges of kidnapping and open murder with the use of a deadly weapon. He remains in custody at the Clark County Detention Center.

Contact Brett Clarkson at bclarkson@reviewjournal.com.