Another arrested in deadly attack
A second man has been arrested in the slaying of a man and the attempted slaying of his wife last month, police said Friday.
Richard Freeman Jr., 19, was booked on a charge of murder Thursday in the shooting death of Julio Romero, 64, and the attempted murder of his wife, Roberta Romero, at their home on Sage Pines Drive, near Russell Road and Jones Boulevard, on Jan. 25.
According to an arrest report, Freeman was an accomplice to Gregory Hover, 38, a Las Vegas process server who police say tried to serve papers at the Romeros' residence and then came back four hours later and shot the couple.
According to the arrest report, Hover told Julio Romero he needed to serve papers to Santiago Pozzi, a friend whom the couple said they had not seen in several years.
Julio Romero signed a document stating he had not seen Pozzi, and Hover left the home, according to the report.
Roberta Romero told police she awoke to a sound at about 12:30 a.m. the next day. When she investigated, she discovered a man she recognized and later identified in a police lineup as Hover. He was in the kitchen with a handgun, the report said.
Hover made her give him her wallet, which contained credit and bank cards, then forced her into a closet as he stole items from her bedroom, according to the report.
She told police she heard Hover's cell phone ring, upon which he immediately opened the door and shot her. She waited about 15 minutes before she called 911 from a bathroom phone, the report states.
Police later used surveillance footage from a convenience store to identify Freeman using the Romeros' bank card at an ATM a short time later.
During an interview, Freeman told police he was in Hover's car the night of the slaying, but did not enter the home.
According to the report, Freeman said Hover gave him jewelry and bank cards from the robbery with the instruction to pawn the jewelry and withdraw money from an ATM, which he tried to do.
Police Lt. Lew Roberts said police did not arrest Freeman the same day as Hover because the investigation was ongoing.
They do not believe Freeman was inside the home that night.
According to the report, the murder weapon was a gun that had been stolen by Freeman.
Contact reporter Mike Blasky at mblasky@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0283.
