LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A jury trial is scheduled for a man accused of murdering his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend 17 years ago.
Clark County District Court Judge Michelle Leavitt scheduled the trial for defendant Jonathan Romero for March 2 during a court hearing on Wednesday.
‘He’s a coward,’ Las Vegas family faces fugitive accused of killing loved one 17 years ago
Romero, 35, found his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend hiding in a closet and shot him execution-style on July 18, 2008, according to grand jury transcripts obtained by the 8 News Now Investigators.
Police found David Manriquez, 18, shot to death at the woman’s home near Lamb Boulevard and Washington Avenue.
Romero then fled the country and was arrested approximately 16 years later in Mexico, Las Vegas Metro police said.A Clark County grand jury indicted Romero for murder with a deadly weapon, attempted murder with a deadly weapon, and burglary while in possession of a deadly weapon on June 6.Romero’s ex-girlfriend testified she stopped dating Romero months prior to the alleged murder. She said Romero showed up at her home, pushed the door in, and ran upstairs.“He looks into the room on the left, and then he goes into the master bedroom, and David was hiding, Davis Manriquez was hiding in the closet,” she testified. “He tries to stop him, and then he shot him in the back of his head.”She described a struggle between both men, resulting in a broken glass door. Romero shot Manriquez several times, including in the back of the head, and then ran out of the house, she said.Retired Metro detective Barry Jensen described the crime scene.“There was a blood trail that led from inside the house out the front door and down, I want to say several blocks,” Jensen testified.Cold case investigator Terri Miller, also retired from Metro, said a warrant had been issued for Romero in 2008. The FBI reached out to him in July of 2024 after the Criminal Apprehension Team had taken Romero into custody in Mexico.Romero pleaded not guilty on June 11. He remains in custody in Las Vegas without bail…