Las Vegas Murder Suspect Arrested, Initially Caught Trying to Pee on Strip
Posted on: February 2, 2023, 07:44h.
Last updated on: February 2, 2023, 07:44h.
Mel Gibson, not the actor, had pulled down his pants and was trying to urinate in public on the Las Vegas Strip earlier this week when a police officer approached him. Turns out, there was a murder warrant for his arrest.
Initially, Gibson, 52, who is apparently homeless, was charged by a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) officer with engaging in a lewd act in public, KLAS, a local TV station, reported.
Police then did a routine record check on him. The first one showed no pending warrants. The officer let him go.
But a second record check showed he had a pending warrant for a far more sinister crime: second-degree murder, KLAS said.
Police quickly looked for Gibson. They apprehended him a short time later at a gas station on Paradise Road, which is close to the Strip.
Gibson was arrested and booked at the Clark County Detention Center on Monday, according to online jail records.
The charge stemmed from the death of Jeffrey Hadlock, 56. Gibson allegedly punched Hadlock in the face after the two got into a dispute on December 12 while they were on Charleston Boulevard near Decatur Boulevard.
Serious Injuries
The impact led Hadlock to fall backward and he hit his head on a hard surface, police said.
He suffered a skull fracture and had bleeding on the brain, police added. Hadlock told police the injuries came from when he was intoxicated, and he fell down on his own.
Given his statement, police did not extensively investigate the circumstances surrounding his injuries.
But his condition got worse. On January 2, he passed away.
LVMPD detectives looked for evidence. They checked surveillance video taken by a camera at a business near the deadly incident.
It showed Gibson assaulted Hadlock, police said.
The Clark County coroner’s office also performed an autopsy. It showed Hadlock died from blunt head trauma. The death was ruled a homicide.
Last month, Gibson allegedly told an acquaintance about the cause of the dispute. “The guy was talking to him too much,” the witness relayed to police, the report said.
Gibson Refuses to Appear in Court
Gibson was scheduled to appear in Las Vegas Justice Court on Tuesday. But he allegedly refused to go on the van that transported inmates from the Clark County Detention Center to the courthouse.
Judge Rebecca Saxe set his bail at $50,000. Gibson is scheduled to appear again in court on Thursday. He remained in custody as of Thursday morning, according to online jail records.
If he is convicted on the second-degree murder charge, Gibson could face life in prison or a sentence of 25 years. There is the possibility of parole after 10 years in prison.
Second-Degree Murder Explained
To prove their case under a second-degree murder charge, prosecutors likely need to show Gibson had the intention to kill Hadlock or displayed what the law calls a reckless disregard for human life, according to online sources.
Second-degree murder, unlike first-degree murder, does not require proving the murder was premeditated.
It is possible, too, prosecutors may offer a plea bargain to Gibson and his attorneys. That likely would include a less-serious charge with a shorter prison sentence.