Police say accused in slaying on video
Homeless man seen with victim just before killing
A homeless man accused of carrying out a slaying at Silverado Ranch Park was observed on video surveillance walking with the victim shortly before the killing, Las Vegas police said.
Police said Theoplis N. Harvey, 30,ischargedwithmurderinthe March 25 slaying of Michael Yeshitela, 23, of Las Vegas. Yeshitela’s bodywasfoundattheparkinthe early morning hours of March 26 by two men walking their dogs.
An autopsy indicated Yeshitela was strangled.
Police interviewed a number of witnesses in the case, including two people who were in the park on the night of the killing.
Both witnesses observed two men fighting in the park, with the smaller man saying, “I wish someone would help me.” One of thewitnessessaidtheysawaman choking another and the man who was on top of the victim uttering, “Say you’re sorry.”
When the witnesses walked by again,thetwomenwhohadbeen fighting were both standing upright, so the witnesses decided not to call police.
“(One of the witnesses) eventually concluded the males were playing around and knew each other and did not intervene,” police wrote in Harvey’s arrest report.
Police examined records from Yeshitela’s debit card, which led them to surveillance video from a variety of stores in the area near the park. Atanearbypharmacy“thevideo surveillance depictedyeshitelaandan unidentifiedblack male, who was later identified as Theoplis Harvey Jr.,” buying a bottle of gin there. More video surveillance from a grocery store showed the men getting two Bud Ice beers together. Police said surveillance from a gas station showed Harvey leaving the area of the park alone at 1:53 a.m. Video surveillance from the gas station showed Harvey in the store with “apparent dirt and or dust on Harvey’s left sleeve, and therewasalargeteartohisleft shoe, next to three drops of apparent blood.”
Las Vegas police stopped Harvey for jaywalking on April 3 in the areaoflasvegasboulevardsouth and Tropicana Avenue. Harvey would not speak to detectives.
“Harvey’s overall condition was documented with photographs, and he had apparent injuries to his hands, which were consistent with a recent fight,” police said.
Contact Glenn Puit at gpuit@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0390. Follow @Glennatrj on Twitter.