Yoni Barrios, responsible for the 2022 stabbing spree on the Las Vegas Strip that resulted in two deaths and six injuries, has been sentenced to two consecutive life terms. The sentence was handed down by District Court Judge Tierra Jones after Barrios pled guilty to all 15 charges, including multiple felony murder counts, according to FOX5 Vegas.
An incident near the Wynn was captured on surveillance video, showing victims including showgirl impersonators and tourists. Security staff on the Strip assisted police in apprehending Barrios. After pleading not guilty in January, he later changed his plea to guilty. In December, he was deemed not competent to stand trial and was committed to a hospital for nearly two years, as mentioned by FOX5 Vegas.
KTNV reported that a plea agreement between Barrios’s attorney, Scott Coffee, and prosecutors removed the possibility of the death penalty due to Barrios’s mental illness at the time of the offense. Coffee said, "I understand how he's been portrayed. The fact of the matter is, he was very mentally ill at the time of the offense. He's not been a problem for the state. He's never been a problem for me to deal with. He's never been an issue for the courts." Barrios had received treatment at a state facility before the trial, but there are now concerns about changes to his medication in detention. Coffee stated, "There have been concerns raised in court two days ago that the medication regime has changed at the detention center. That's been an ongoing problem with cases." He also said, "This incident is a tragedy, and it's definitely a call for reform."
