Two brothers arrested in drug-related home slaying

Two Las Vegas brothers were arrested and booked on murder charges after killing a man who entered their house Thursday in a drug-related robbery attempt, Las Vegas police said today.

Richard Saterstad, 31, and his brother Martin Saterstad, 25, were booked into the Clark County Detention Center early this morning on charges of murder and possession of drugs.

About 9:30 p.m. Thursday, police received a report that two residents at 3025 Red Bay Way, near Cheyenne Avenue and Buffalo Drive, had shot and killed a man trying to rob their house, said homicide Lt. Lew Roberts.

Three or four possible accomplices of the dead man fled the scene, Roberts said, although the exact number of intruders has yet to be determined.

When police arrived, they found one of the brothers outside smoking a cigarette. The other man was inside the home. After conducting an investigation, police determined that it probably wasn’t a random home invasion but an attempted robbery of drug dealers.

“Based on what we had, we arrested the occupants,” Roberts said. “We’re still trying to track down the others involved.”

Marijuana was the only drug found inside the house, he said, adding, “Sometimes that’s large enough” to incite violence.

Police found the deceased suspect in the backyard of the house.

Roberts said it’s too early in the investigation to determine exactly what happened during the robbery attempt, but enough evidence was available to make arrests.

“When it’s all said and done, it will be a much larger deal than what we have now,” he said.

The Clark County coroner’s office did not release the name of the intruder who was killed.

This morning, other residents of Red Bay Way poked their heads outside to watch cleanup crews scurry in and out of the Saterstad residence.

None of the neighbors who commented said they had heard gunshots Thursday night, nor had they seen anyone flee the area.

One neighbor, who asked to remain anonymous to protect her identity, said the two brothers had never made an attempt to communicate with their neighbors, even with the smallest acknowledgments.

“They never said hello, they never once made eye contact with me,” she said.

The owner of the home was listed as Empire Partners II, LLC, a California-based company, according to Clark County property records.

Since the Saterstad brothers moved into the house about nine months ago, the neighbor said she noticed more criminal activity in the neighborhood, including attempted break-ins of her neighbor’s house, as well as her husband’s truck.

People were constantly coming and going at the house, and the windows upstairs were always blacked-out, she said.

“This is a family community. I knew something was up,” she said. “I had contemplated calling the police before.”

Richard Saterstad had been arrested for felony possession/receiving stolen goods in 1997, and again in 2002, according to Clark County court records. The 2002 case also included a felony charge of possession with intent to sell, for which he served time in prison.

The neighbor said the events have made her nervous about living in Las Vegas, especially with her 3-month old child.

She had previously considered her neighborhood one of the best in town.

“My husband and I have already talked of moving back to Houston,” she said.

Contact reporter Mike Blasky at mblasky@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0283.