Son of slain couple arrested

Timothy Chester asked his only friend, Victor Veliz: Will you kill my parents?

Veliz loaded Chester's .22-caliber gun.

Racked a round.

And as Chester's father walked up to them, Las Vegas police said, Veliz shot the 57-year-old man in the head.

Chester's frail mother, who sometimes used a wheelchair, was standing in the living room. Police said Veliz shot and then stabbed her.

The Wednesday afternoon killings ended with Veliz washing his hands in the kitchen sink and walking home. But the two 18-year-olds also had wanted to kill Chester's sister, brother-in-law and Veliz's family, Las Vegas police Lt. Lew Roberts said Thursday.

Investigators haven't discovered the motive for the chilling slayings that were detailed in Veliz's arrest report. Veliz told police that Chester asked him to commit the murders.

The two homicides shocked neighbors in the east valley mobile home park. Chester had argued with his parents about "responsibilities in the house" the night before, but the argument wasn't physical, according to Veliz's arrest report.

The men were booked into the Clark County Detention Center on two counts each of murder with a deadly weapon, and conspiracy to commit murder. They also face one count each of burglary for their involvement in the double slaying. Timothy Chester was charged with an additional count of robbery with a deadly weapon.

Both men, who have no prior criminal histories in Las Vegas, are being held without bail.

Thomas Chester and his wife, 51-year-old Carla Chester, were found dead in their home at 4:20 p.m. by their adult daughter, who called police. The couple's Dodge Journey was missing, and police soon declared the son a suspect.

Timothy Chester was arrested Thursday morning after he approached security officials on the Arizona side of the Hoover Dam. He had scratches on his arm and was pulled aside for a security check, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation spokesman Bob Walsh said.

A Hoover Dam police officer ran a check on Timothy Chester and found he was wanted by Las Vegas police.

After walking home Wednesday afternoon, Veliz changed some of his clothes and wrapped the gun and magazine in the shirt he was wearing during the murders, he told police according to his arrest report. Police recovered the items at the home.

Veliz's mother called 911 at 6:09 p.m. claiming that her son had killed two people. A woman at the house, located near Lamb and Charleston boulevards, declined comment Thursday afternoon.

The murders have shaken neighbors at the Heritage Village Mobile Home Park on 1515 S. Mojave Road, near Charleston Boulevard, where Tom and Carla Chester lived for seven years. A memorial that included a candle and two small stuffed animals was taking shape outside the family's home Thursday.

"They were pillars of the community," said neighbor Julie Bohacek. "They were the first to help, to organize events (and) always there at the ready."

She said the Chesters were well-liked.

"She was a character," neighbor Garrianne Sage said of Carla Chester. "She didn't deserve it. She didn't deserve it at all."

Bohacek described Timothy Chester as quiet but said he would remove neighbors' trash and pull weeds for them. He lived at home with his parents, his sister and her children.

"He was great with his nephews," she said.

Bohacek also said that Timothy Chester fought with his parents over small things but she thought it was "affectionate squabbling."

About 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Thomas Chester took his son to a nearby high school to get his transcripts. Thomas Chester returned home by himself a short time later.

Timothy Chester had talked about killing his parents in the past, "including wanting to stab his mother," Veliz's arrest report states.

Next door neighbor Cheryl Burd said Timothy Chester always walked through the neighborhood with his head down. "It was like he didn't want to see anyone."

Bohacek said the teen stayed home a lot and wasn't attending school.

"We hope he's OK," she said. "We want this little family to be all right and, right now, this family is not going to be OK."

Contact reporter Lawrence Mower at lmower@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0440. Contact reporter Maggie Lillis at mlillis@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0279.