‘One in a billion’: Vigil held for Las Vegas man fatally hit while on walk

Life in recent months seemed to be coming together for Joree Odabi.

At 23, Odabi was still living at home with his mom and older brother, but in October received his driver’s license and by January was the proud new owner of his first-ever vehicle, a Nissan SUV. That same month Odabi also began a new job working the front desk at the Bellagio and had his sights set on becoming a corporate attorney.

“He was very structured,” Joree’s mom, Valerie Odabi, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Monday. “He doesn’t like to argue with you. He’s going to debate you, and he’d just let you talk. Then he would spin circles around you, breaking everything down.”

Walking never proved to be too inconvenient for Odabi and had become his primary method of transportation for many years until earning his license, according to relatives. Even with the newfound freedoms that come with owning a car, walking was still part of Odabi’s daily ritual, and he still made it a point to take regular strolls throughout his Spring Valley neighborhood.

That’s why Valerie and Justice Odabi didn’t think much when Joree said he was going to walk around the block before his late-night shift last Tuesday. But the two were soon met with horror after learning Joree was fatally struck just blocks from their townhouse by a driver police said was under the influence of cannabis.

Memorial services for Odabi are pending. In addition to Valerie and Justice Odabi, Joree is survived by father George Odabi, brother Destiny Odabi, grandmothers Catherine Odabi and Yolanda Allen, nephew Jasten Odabi, and many aunts, uncles and cousins.

“He was unapologetically himself,” Joree’s brother Justice Odabi told the Review-Journal. “I was so proud of him. He wasn’t popular, he wasn’t like a class clown, he was just himself. He was a smart, smart kid.”

‘One in a billion’

Those who knew Odabi, a 2019 graduate and former baseball player for Desert Oasis High School, described him as a lovable “nerd,” who loved comic books, video games, Japanese culture and history.

At the Odabi residence on Monday, many of Joree’s comic books and an old Nintendo Gameboy were still out on display in an upstairs living room. Joree’s bedroom — which has gone untouched since the May 6 crash — features a tall bookshelf with what appeared to be several dozen fantasy books and graphic novels.

“Joree was one in a billion,” Valerie Odabi said. “He was just an avid reader. He loved to read.”

At a vigil held Monday evening at the site of the crash, friends, coworkers and family members gathered in “Justice for Joree” shirts. Several speakers described the young man as a “gentle giant” with a kind soul, and asked people to carry on his legacy.

“We literally became a family,” Rennel Johnson, a manager at Walmart, said of his time working with Odabi at the store. “He just kept a smile on his face, and he was just an amazing person.”

He was joined with several other Walmart employees, some of whom spoke in tears about their time working with Odabi.

Bellagio employees gave a framed tribute to Odabi to the family, which Justice Odabi read aloud: “A kind hearted individual who enjoyed daily walks and was always willing to help others. Joree: a gentle soul, deeply loved, never forgotten. Your light, your laughter, your kindness, they remain with us always. Though you are no longer here, your spirit lives on in every heart you touch.”

Annela Medeiros, who trained Odabi at the Bellagio, told the family that Odabi had told her that he had had a happy childhood and loved his family, and that he would not have traded anything about it.

“Although he was with us a short time at Bellagio, he truly impacted us and had a lasting impact on all of us,” Medeiros said.

Ken Young, a retired captain with the Clark County School District Police Department who knew Odabi through church, said that Valerie Odabi had asked him to mentor Odabi.

“I was in law enforcement, so I was used to helping to fix kids. And she brought me a kid that didn’t have any issues, didn’t have any problems. I was like, ‘So what am I going to do with him?’” Young said.

He asked the crowd to say words that came to mind when they thought of Odabi: “gentle,” “kind” and “intelligent” were common.

Yolanda Allen recalled the way Odabi, her grandson, was always eager to mow her lawn and help out in any way he could when he came to visit her in Ohio. She wore the same sweater as she had worn in the picture that hung behind her: Odabi’s graduation six years prior.

Despite the harsh winds of the night, guests lit candles and released balloons into the air for Odabi.

“This is Joree talking to us right now,” Justice Odabi said as the wind gushed through the vigil. “He’s celebrating.”

Suspect arraigned

Odabi was walking on the sidewalk along West Warm Springs Road east of South Mann Street just before 5 p.m. when a 2008 Volkswagen Passat being driven by Daniel Stakleff, 38, of Las Vegas allegedly went up on the curb facing the north sidewalk and struck Odabi from behind, according to a Metropolitan Police arrest report. Odabi was declared dead at the scene.

Police said Stakleff allegedly attempted to conceal receipts and packaging for marijuana vape pens after fatally striking Odabi. The car also struck a light pole, which responding officers found knocked over, according to the arrest report. Officers found inside the Passat an “empty marijuana vape cartridge” and an “empty marijuana vape pen wrapper,” police said.

Stakleff was detained at the scene and completed a series of field sobriety tests “unsatisfactorily,” according to the arrest report. Two blood samples were taken from Stakleff, and the results of those were not yet public.

Stakleff remained jailed at the Clark County Detention Center as of Monday. He faces felony counts of DUI resulting in death, reckless driving resulting in death or substantial bodily harm, and a misdemeanor charge of failing to maintain a travel lane, according to Las Vegas Justice Court records.

Stakleff was arraigned Monday and had bail set at $5,000, court records show. Judge Joseph Bonaventure imposed additional bail conditions, including high level electronic monitoring, and ordered Stakleff to not drive and to abstain from drugs and alcohol. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 7 at 9:30 a.m.

Stakleff’s attorney, Jay Siegel, did not return a request for comment.

In addition to remembering Odabi, several speakers at Monday night’s vigil also called out the bail amount as too low and unfair. They advocated for people to keep fighting for a fair result in the criminal justice system.

“There is no Joree without justice,” his cousin, Elizabeth Crawford, said. “There’s no justice without Joree. So justice does not stop for Joree. It starts with Joree and it will end with everybody that looks like him, everyone that is standing here for him. It does not stop today. It’s a continued fight.”

As of Monday afternoon, a GoFundMe set up to help Odabi’s family pay for funeral costs had raised more than $10,795 of its stated $25,000 goal. Valerie Odabi said Monday while her family is still processing Joree’s death, they would eventually like to set up a community event like a walk/run in his honor, or advocate for new legislation to stiffen DUI penalties.

“The laws are like just a slap on the hand,” Valerie Odabi said. “I can’t bring my son back home, but [Stakleff] got a $5,000 bail this morning.”

“He was a great kid,” Valerie said of Joree.” And I miss him so much.”

Contact Casey Harrison at charrison@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Casey_Harrison1 on X or @casey-harrison.bsky.social on Bluesky. Contact Katie Futterman at kfutterman@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ktfutts on X and @katiefutterman.bsky.social.