Published on: July 13, 2022, 03:25 a.m.
Last update on: July 13, 2022, 03:25 a.m.
A Las Vegas judge ordered Wednesday that the man accused of stabbing two patients last month at University Medical Center (UMC) undergo a mental health exam. One of the victims died. The other survived.
The order came as Michael Earl, 48, of Las Vegas appeared before Justice of the Peace Suzan Baucum. Earl is charged with assault, attempted murder, battery, robbery and murder.
Porfirio Alejandro Rea, 29, was stabbed in the neck while partially immobilized. He later died from his injuries.
A second patient, aged 24, was stabbed in the leg. He was on a stretcher when the stabbing occurred. He then ran through the exit doors to safety.
Earl is scheduled to return to court in Las Vegas on August 5. If he is convicted of the charges, he could face decades in prison. He remains in custody at the Clark County Detention Center.
Earl’s attorney, James Ruggeroli of Las Vegas, who specializes in criminal defense, explained that his client will be evaluated by mental health professionals.
Analyzing competition issues is the first thing we have to do to make sure you understand everything that’s going on,” Ruggeroli was quoted as saying. Las Vegas Review Magazine.
During a previous program court appearance, Earl allegedly refused to appear. That prompted a judge to previously hold him without setting bail.
I was in the casino
Last month, it was revealed that Earl was in a casino before he was taken to UMC for a psychiatric evaluation. He began to feel that he wanted to harm himself or someone else, police said.
A security guard was alerted and later called an ambulance to take Earl to the hospital.
It is not clear if he or a friend alerted the guard, the local television station, KLASreported.
I thought the patient was talking
Once at the hospital, Earl believed he heard Rea call him a “snitch” and that Rea told him to “get it over with” before the stabbing, the police report revealed, KLAS said.
Both attacks appeared to occur without provocation or warning,” police said in an arrest report, cited by KVVUanother Nevada television station.
Earl later told police that he had not eaten or slept in the days or hours leading up to the incident. KLAS said.
How Earl was able to possess a knife while in a dedicated psychiatric area in the hospital is unknown. KSNVanother local television channel reported.
UMC is a large hospital in Las Vegas. Victims of violent crimes along the Las Vegas Strip and those who sustain injuries in downtown Las Vegas are often brought there for treatment.
