Intruder shot dead in home had been out of jail less than a year
The man police said was shot and killed after breaking into a home in the west valley had been out of prison for less than a year, prison records show.
The suspect, identified by the Clark County coroner’s office Friday as 41-year-old Steven Paul Speidel of Las Vegas, died from a gunshot wound to the chest, the coroner ruled.
Speidel and another person broke into a two-story home in the 8100 block of Cactus Flower Court, near Cimarron Road and Alta Drive, about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday while a resident was home, Metro said.
The resident, who has not been identified, ran upstairs to a bedroom and got a gun. But Speidel, police said, tailed him with a gun himself. They shot at each other. The resident was unharmed but hit Speidel several times.
Speidel ran out of the house, police said.
Police found Speidel lying in the street bleeding from his wounds. He was taken to University Medical Center, where he died about three hours later, according to Metro.
Wednesday’s burglary attempt was the last of a series of crimes Speidel has committed through the years, according to court and prison records. He spent more time behind bars in Nevada than out during his last 16 years.
In 1998, Speidel was convicted of two crimes — a burglary and an attempted armed robbery — and spent three years in prison, court records show.
After being arrested several times between 2004 and 2006 and being convicted in five separate felony cases, Speidel spent nearly a decade in prison before being released last spring.
Speidel’s former father-in-law, Bob Dubin, said he was a “troubled soul from the beginning.”
After Speidel got out of Lovelock Correctional Center — about 100 miles west of Sparks — in April, Dubin said, he seemed more committed to being a father to his two children, who are Dubin’s grandchildren.
“He came back with an attitude to do everything right,” Dubin said. “He seemed to be going in the right direction, as far as we knew.”
But when Dubin saw Speidel last Sunday, something seemed off.
“He seemed fidgety, which was really unusual for him,” Dubin said. “He came in and left in a hurry.”
Dubin and his family are still puzzled as to what changed so rapidly with Speidel.
“We’re still trying to figure out what in the world went on,” he said. “Something else was going on.”
Police are still on the lookout for that second intruder who they said fled the home.
Police have not released a description of that person. Metro said it’s still unclear why the duo targeted that specific house.
Anyone with any information about this incident can contact the LVMPD Homicide Section by phone at 702-828-3521, or by email at homicide@lvmpd.com. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers by phone at 702-385-5555, or on the internet at www.crimestoppersofnv.com. Tips leading directly to an arrest or indictment processed through Crime Stoppers may be eligible for a cash reward.
Contact reporter Colton Lochhead at clochhead at clochhead@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638. Find him on Twitter: @ColtonLochhead
