Las Vegas Crime Round Up: Woman Stabbed 19 Times, Assailant Jumps from Balcony

Posted on: February 24, 2023, 05:44h. 

Last updated on: February 24, 2023, 12:07h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More
Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

Last week, a Las Vegas man allegedly slashed a North Las Vegas woman 19 times at her apartment. He told her she was both his “grandmother” and the “devil,” and that he was “supposed to kill her,” police revealed.

A Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) patrol car
A Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) patrol car, pictured above. LVMPD officers arrested a man who allegedly slashed a woman 19 times. (Image: Flickr)

Henry Mason, 28, allegedly stabbed the victim 15 times on the right hip, once on her left hip, twice in the stomach, and once in the chest with a paring knife during last Friday’s attack, according to Las Vegas TV station KLAS.

Mason also was stabbed twice in the stomach during the struggle.

During the struggle, the victim was able to send an emergency text to her son-in-law. He soon arrived at the North Las Vegas Boulevard apartment building and got a maintenance supervisor to open the victim’s locked apartment door with a master key. The two rushed into the kitchen where they discovered Mason kneeling on top of the victim.

They asked him to put down the knife. He did and then told the pair they “would have to shoot [him] in the head,” KLAS reported.

When they tried to apprehend Mason, he walked to the apartment’s second-story balcony and jumped to the ground below, police said. Mason’s head was injured after his body hit the curb and a neighbor attempted to give him first aid, the report said.

Mason and the victim were taken to University Medical Center for medical treatment. The two are expected to recover from injuries.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) officers said they tried to question Mason, but his responses were incoherent, according to KLAS. He was booked at the Clark County Detention Center on a charge of attempted murder with a deadly weapon. As of Friday morning, he remained in custody.

The victim wasn’t identified by police, but was described as being in her 60s. She told police she didn’t know her attacker prior to the violent incident.

The apartment is located a few miles from the Cannery Casino.

Arrest in Fatal Stabbing of Street Performer

Justin Bell was arrested earlier this month for January’s deadly slashing of a well-known Las Vegas street performer.

Bell, 27, was charged with open murder on February 13. He remains in custody at the Clark County Detention Center.

The victim, David Cary, 63, died from the January 15 stabbing, which took place at a bus stop near Boulder Highway and Nellis Boulevard. The two men had gotten into a dispute before Bell allegedly knifed Cary, cutting an artery, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

Cary performed rap most evenings for tourists and passersby on the Las Vegas Strip and Fremont Street. He was recognizable by his fashionable suits and top hat.

Las Vegas TV station KLAS also reported that Bell was on probation for a 2020 incident when he allegedly threatened to kill a woman he met through a dating app. Bell held a knife up to that woman’s neck and then threatened her life, police said.

Bell pleaded guilty to attempted battery with substantial bodily harm in connection with that incident. Las Vegas District Court Judge Monica Trujillo gave him a suspended 19–48-month sentence, and he was placed on probation for two years.

Because of the recent deadly stabbing, Bell was charged with violating a condition of his probation.

Woman Threatened, Sexually Assaulted

A man was arrested last week for allegedly threatening a woman with a knife and then groping her in the lavatory of a Las Vegas bar. The incident took place on February 5 at the bar, located near the intersection of Vegas Drive and North Rainbow Boulevard.

Wesley Maafua, 31, was arrested last Friday for kidnapping, assault, open or gross lewdness, and coercion with force or threat of force.

Maafua entered the bar and went into a woman’s restroom, according to police. The victim went to see what he was doing in a woman’s lavatory and found him in a stall. Maafua then allegedly threatened her with a knife before assaulting her.

He then pulled down his pants and allegedly touched the woman under her shirt and pants before pressing his body against hers, police said. The victim was able to flee and told a bar server what had happened.

Police caught Maafua after he left the bar and the victim identified him in a photo lineup.

Bail was set at $50K during a Saturday hearing. It appears he posted bond and was released from the Clark County Detention Center.