Man held in double slaying freed

A 19-year-old man facing murder charges in an Aug. 10 double slaying was released from jail Tuesday and is no longer considered a suspect in the homicides.

Jose Granados spent a week in custody after being arrested in connection with the fatal shootings on a residential street near Decatur Boulevard and Sahara Avenue.

Both 20-year-old Juan Carlos Benitez and 22-year-old Paul Rodelo were fatally wounded in a hail of gunfire unleashed in the early afternoon on the 5000 block of Edna Avenue, according to Las Vegas police. A third man, Cesar Sosa, 20, was wounded. Sosa was listed in fair condition at University Medical Center last week. An update on his status was not available Tuesday.

Las Vegas police spokesman Ramon Denby said the investigation is ongoing and that Granados is not even considered a person of interest. The Clark County district attorney's office confirmed that they will not be pursuing murder charges against Granados.

He does still face a felony charge of possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell. The substance was marijuana, according to the district attorney's office.

Homicide Sgt. Rocky Alby said Monday that Granados' uncle, Ricardo Granados-Corea, 30, is now considered a suspect. Police initially said Granados-Corea was a person of interest. Granados-Corea and his brother may have fled to Mexico after the shooting, Alby said.

The latest developments in the homicide investigation angered Rodelo's brother, Ricardo Romero, who wants someone held responsible for his brother's death.

"These people are still on the street like nothing happened," Romero said. "How do we know they aren't going to kill anybody else? That's not right."

Lisa Rasmussen, Granados' court-appointed attorney, said it's unfortunate that her client had to spend any time in the Clark County Detention Center. But she's elated police and the district attorney's office determined he was not involved in the shooting.

"I'm hoping people will understand he's not a suspect because I know his family is concerned about retaliation," Rasmussen said. "In reality, he didn't have anything to do with this offense."

According to a police report, one witness saw a man standing in an Edna Avenue driveway holding a rifle shortly before the shooting. The witness later identified the man as Jose Granados, the report said.

A different witness told police a second man was also in the driveway with a gun. The report said the two witnesses were juveniles.

At the scene, police found multiple 7.62 mm rifle cartridge casings and .40-caliber casings outside a Ford F-150 pickup truck riddled with bullet holes. Benitez, Rodelo and Sosa were believed to have been in the truck.

Benitez was found dead from multiple gunshot wounds inside the vehicle. Rodelo died the next night at UMC. His family said the shooting left him brain dead. He had bullet wounds to his eye, throat and the back of his head.

Police said one of the three shooting victims was involved in a dispute with a resident on Edna, but did not say who it was.

Rodelo's family members said he was an innocent bystander. He had met Benitez and Sosa less than two weeks before the shooting. Rodelo's family said he didn't know Granados or his uncle.

The report said a person inside a home on Edna where shots were fired told police of seeing the blue Ford truck earlier and that the occupants of the truck were "causing trouble." The witness told police Granados-Corea had gone to the store and was followed home by the blue pickup.

Granados denied being involved in the shooting before he was arrested, the report said.

On Aug. 10, Rodelo was drinking beer with Benitez and Sosa at his mother's house, located about a half-mile from the scene of the shooting. Romero said that since his brother was killed, his mother has not stayed at her home because she's scared.

Romero added that none of the passengers in the truck had weapons.

Ricardo Granados-Corea was last seen while in a white Honda Ridgeline truck with tinted windows. The vehicle had a California license plate, 7W13664. He was described by police as 5 feet 9 inches tall and about 185 pounds. He has brown hair and brown eyes, police said.

Contact reporter Antonio Planas at aplanas@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4638.