Las Vegas man deemed ‘low risk’ stabs woman after ditching bracelet, shooting 2, killing dogs: prosecutors
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A man deemed “low risk,” who is accused of attempting to kill two people and killing two dogs, was missing Monday after removing his ankle monitor and stabbing another person, the 8 News Now Investigators have learned.
Fernando Avalos, 32, faces 20 felony charges including attempted murder, robbery and animal abuse for an alleged crime spree in February, documents said.
On Feb. 10 around 10 p.m., police responded to an apartment near Charleston Boulevard and U.S. 95, finding a woman with a gunshot wound and two dogs deceased in their kennel, documents said.
Two men broke into the home, demanded money from the woman, killed her two dogs, and then ran off, police said. The victim told police that one of the men asked her which dog was her favorite, and when she did not answer, the two men shot and killed both dogs before leaving the home, a report said.
About an hour later, police responded to a second robbery and shooting in the same area where the group also allegedly stole the man’s car and attempted to steal a second, documents said.
The victim in that shooting said a man fired a gun “approximately 8 to 9 times” and ran up the stairs toward his apartment. A few minutes later, police were called to the intersection of Boulder Highway and Sandhill Road after a report of a vehicle, which matched the description of the carjacking, on fire.
Police arrested the two men and a third person shortly after the call for the second shooting, documents said. One of the men was identified as Avalos.
“When we talk about a crime spree, this was a crime spree that was extremely violent,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Peter Thunell said during a Feb. 15 bail hearing. “This puts the community at large in extreme danger as well.”
During the hearing, Avalos’ public defender requested Judge Nadia Wood set bail at $10,000, citing Avalos’ “extensive family in the area,” documents said.
“He can do house arrest, your honor,” the public defender told Wood, according to a transcript. “He would be fine with that. I think that would be sufficient conditions to protect the public and ensure his return to court.”
Avalos’ pretrial risk assessment, a form Nevada courts utilize to guide judges in their bail-setting decision, deemed him a “low risk,” though records show a supervisor overrode the score to “moderate” due to his pending charges.
“Your honor, when we talk about safety to the community, I think this case is exactly what we’re talking about,” Thunell said, asking for a bail amount that would be “unattainable” for Avalos. “The concern from the state is great.”
Nevada law requires judges to set reasonable bail, considering what a defendant can and cannot afford.
Wood then set bail at $100,000, which was double prosecutors’ minimum ask of $50,000, documents said. She ordered Avalos to wear an ankle monitor should he post bail.
Avalos posted bail on Feb. 29, records said, meaning he provided a bail bondsman with $15,000, and officers placed a monitoring device on his ankle, documents said.
On March 5, Avalos reported an issue with the bracelet, documents said. The next morning, officers received an alert that the device was altered. Officers were unable to locate Avalos afterward but found the broken device in a parking lot.
After Avalos removed the device, he allegedly stabbed a woman, documents said. The victim was a person known to Avalos. She lived in the same area as the two shootings, documents said.
Avalos allegedly went to the woman’s home to “rekindle his romantic relationship with [her],” documents said.
“When the victim refused the request defendant produced a knife and stabbed the victim, telling her “[expletive] you,” and “I’m sorry you made me do this,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Madilyn Cole wrote in court documents.
Wood issued a bench warrant for Avalos’ arrest on March 6, though documents indicate Avalos, who was born in Los Angeles, was on his way or may already be in Mexico.
A preliminary hearing in his case was scheduled to continue on March 14.
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