Las Vegas Crime Roundup: More Charges in Shooting of Prostitute

Posted on: April 3, 2023, 09:13h. 

Last updated on: April 3, 2023, 11:44h.

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

A woman is facing two charges for her role in the Las Vegas park shooting of a prostitute by the victim’s ex-pimp in January, authorities revealed last week.

Anessa Renee Denton,
Anessa Renee Denton in a mug shot, pictured above. She was arrested last week for her alleged role in the shooting of a prostitute in Las Vegas. (Image: LVMPD)

Anessa Renee Denton, 22, of Las Vegas, was charged on Wednesday with attempted murder with a deadly weapon and conspiracy to commit attempted murder. She was allegedly part of a scheme to lure the would-be victim to a Henderson, Nev. hotel. Denton and the victim’s former pimp claimed an escort agency wanted the victim to meet up with a customer.

The victim was a prostitute who formerly worked for Jose Flores, 22, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD).

The shooting took place on January 4 at the 80-acre Exploration Peak Park. While at the park, Flores allegedly repeatedly shot the victim in the abdomen, arm, and leg while she was in a car, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Police said the victim was likely permanently disfigured from the wounds and required complex surgery.

Flores had threatened the victim, stating that “if he saw her outside working as a prostitute with her new pimp, he was going to do something in retaliation,” the Review-Journal reported.

Flores also allegedly shot the woman’s current pimp in the wrist while he was also at the park. The unnamed current pimp was armed and exchanged gunfire with Flores, police said.

That same day, Flores was arrested for attempted murder with a deadly weapon, mayhem with a deadly weapon, battery with a deadly weapon resulting in substantial bodily harm, trafficking of an adult with a deadly weapon, and discharging a gun into an occupied vehicle.

The two shooting victims initially went to the Henderson hotel. The female victim spotted Flores in a car parked at the hotel, and they drove to the park.

Flores was later apprehended and booked at the Clark County Detention Center. He remains in custody at the jail, and charges against him are still pending in local court.

Exploration Peak Park
Exploration Peak Park, pictured above. A woman was repeatedly shot at the Las Vegas park in January. (Image: Time Out)

Encore Las Vegas Nightclub Watch Theft

A Richard Millie Le Mans watch valued at $380K was stolen from a man’s wrist at the XS Nightclub at the Encore Las Vegas last August, police said. The theft was revealed last week in a media report.

The suspect, Jhon Mogollon Ayala, 42, was charged with theft and larceny for the August 20 incident, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He’s scheduled to appear in local court on April 20.

The scheme involved a half dozen suspects, most of whom have been apprehended. Among them was Ayala, who allegedly stole the luxury watch from the victim’s wrist. Before it was taken, someone brushed up against the victim.

The victim was identified by the Review-Journal as Lorenzo Loken, 39.

Chris Rasmussen, a Las Vegas criminal defense attorney representing Ayala, told the Review-Journal that his client is innocent.

“I don’t think they have any idea who took the watch. And it’s hard to believe somebody’s walking around a nightclub with a $380,000 watch,” Rasmussen told the newspaper.

Ponzi Scheme Defendant Pleads Not Guilty

Matthew Beasley, accused of a $460M Las Vegas-based Ponzi scheme, pleaded not guilty on Friday to federal charges.

The 50-year-old suspended attorney was indicted last week for multiple wire fraud and money laundering counts. His trial is scheduled to start in June. Also on Friday, federal prosecutors dropped an assault on a federal officer charge against Beasley.

That charge stemmed from him allegedly aiming a gun at FBI agents on March 3, 2022, when they arrived at his home to ask him about the scheme. An agent shot Beasley after he refused to drop the firearm.

Beasley reportedly used some money to pay off gambling debts and purchase luxury homes and vehicles.