Vegas showgirls describe shock of stabbings that left 2 dead
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Victims of a quick series of stabbings on the Las Vegas Strip described the shock and horror of the unexpected attack on a group of showgirls and others outside a casino that left two people dead and six injured.
Police arrested Yoni Barrios, 32, after a short chase blocks from where they say he attacked four showgirls and ended up stabbing eight people on Thursday.
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An arrest report released Friday said Barrios told police some of the victims had laughed at him and he “let the anger out.” Prosecutors say he’ll be charged with two counts of murder and six counts of attempted murder.
“I couldn’t believe that this was happening to me,” said Victoria Caytano, one of the showgirl impersonators who was released from the hospital Friday after she was treated for a stab wound.
“I got up, and I started running,” Caytano told KLAS-TV. “I started yelling, ‘he has a knife!’”
The coroner’s office identified those killed as Las Vegas residents Brent Allan Hallett, 47, and Maris Mareen DiGiovanni, 30. Hallett was stabbed in the back and DiGiovanni died from a chest wound, authorities said.
DiGiovanni was part of the Best Showgirls In Vegas modeling and talent agency, according to Cheryl Lowthorp, who runs the business. She said two others with the agency were among the wounded and a third escaped without injury.
According to the police report, some performers said he made them feel uncomfortable when he approached for a photo and one backed away. One woman said he stabbed her in the back, then stabbed DiGiovanni.
Anna Westby, who suffered a punctured lung, said she and Caytano were with DiGiovanni when Barrios attacked them.
