Teen witnessed gang slayings

A 15-year-old Sierra Vista High School student who was gunned down last month in front of his southwest Las Vegas home was a key witness in a 2006 gang-related double slaying in Riverside County.

Prosecutors in California think another teen shot Demontre Carroll in the back to silence him. Las Vegas police, however, aren't convinced that Demontre's death was a gang hit.

Demontre was killed Oct. 13, just 16 days before he was to testify against 14 gang members accused in the Riverside killings, the Riverside County District Attorney's office notes. That office had helped Demontre and his family move to Las Vegas from Riverside about a year ago, said Deena Bennett, a supervising deputy district attorney in Riverside.

She refused to say whether Demontre was in a witness protection program in Las Vegas, citing safety issues involving other witnesses.

"The interest and protection of the victims and witnesses are always a priority," Bennett said.

Three other witnesses in the Riverside case were threatened, but only Demontre has been killed, according to court records.

On Feb. 7, 2006, Demontre saw two Crips gang members killed in Banning, Calif., about 10 miles from Riverside, according to court documents.

Those slayings stemmed from an ongoing dispute between the California-based 52nd Street Pueblo Bishop Bloods and Gateway Posse Crips, authorities said.

Members from another Bloods-affiliated gang, the Young Ass Hustlers, were also involved, authorities said.

They said members from all three gangs were involved in the shootout that left the two Crips gang members dead.

Demontre, who was affiliated with the Young Ass Hustlers, was the only witness willing to testify, court documents stated.

After he gave statements to authorities, he moved to Las Vegas, court documents state.

Demontre returned to California to testify at a preliminary hearing against more than a dozen defendants.

During that hearing, Demontre was so nervous that he rushed out of the courtroom and threw up in a back room at the courthouse, Bennett said.

"You have to remember that he was a 14-year-old and some of these guys are major gang members," Bennett said, adding that even though she is a seasoned prosecutor, she also felt intimidated.

Fifteen-year-old Raymond Roseby of Las Vegas is charged with murder in Demontre's slaying.

About 4 p.m. Oct. 13, Raymond Roseby and several other teens went to home of Demontre's family, near Decatur Boulevard and Blue Diamond Road. The two argued and, when Demontre turned his back on Raymond, Raymond shot Demontre with a .38-caliber revolver, according to the arrest report.

The handgun had been reported stolen in 1995 in Selma, Ala., police noted.

Witnesses said Raymond called Demontre a snitch before shooting him.

Before the slaying, Demontre was threatened by Raymond's sister, who lives in Los Angeles and is a member of the Bounty Hunter Bloods, according to court documents.

The threats were made via e-mail through Myspace.com, authorities said. In one e-mail, Raymond's sister calls Demontre a snitch, according to a copy of the e-mail.

Raymond is a self-admitted member of the Bounty Hunter Blood gang too, according to court documents.

The Bounty Hunter Bloods are a sister gang to the Pueblo Bishop Bloods.

The Bounty Hunter Bloods are becoming the hit-men, the executioners, for the Pueblo Bishop Bloods and have been recruiting heavily in Las Vegas, California authorities said in court documents.

Las Vegas police, however, said they don't think Demontre's killing is connected to the Riverside court case.

Lt. Lew Roberts said Raymond and Demontre had an ongoing dispute because the two were arrested in a burglary case in Las Vegas.

The two were arguing because each believed the other had talked to police about the case.

After he was arrested, Raymond accused Demontre of threatening him for several weeks, according to the arrest report.

Bennett met with Demontre less than two weeks before he was gunned down. Demontre told her he was doing well in school but had a few problems with several classmates.

Bennett told him to walk away from any confrontations.

Contact reporter David Kihara at dkihara@reviewjournal.com or (702) 383-4638.