Stateline Casino Murderer Sentenced to 55 Years in Prison

Posted on: June 14, 2024, 03:29h. 

Last updated on: June 14, 2024, 03:29h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More

Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

The California resident who fatally shot a man at Nevada’s Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Lake Tahoe was sentenced this week to 55 years behind bars.

Edgar Julian Delgado, 25, will be eligible for parole after serving 22 years in prison.

The maximum penalty Delgado could have faced was life in prison, according to Nevada TV station KOLO.

Shot in Head

He previously pled guilty to first-degree murder and use of a deadly weapon.

The shooting took place on March 25, 2023 at a bar in the casino. The victim, Omar Reyes Garcia, 32, suffered a gunshot wound to the head. He later passed away at Barton Hospital.

The suspect was located a short time later on a California highway. Delgado initially was arrested for open murder.

During court appearances, he claimed to have no memory of the shooting, according to Reno, Nev. TV station KRNV.

Thomas Villoria, a veteran criminal defense attorney based in Reno representing Delgado, last year told a judge the shooting was an “isolated incident.”

“Had he not been intoxicated, this would never have occurred,” said Villoria, who formerly worked as a prosecutor.

Two Men Met at Bar

The shooting followed a dispute between the two men. Delgado and Garcia first met at the Hard Rock’s Center Bar.

At one point, an argument broke out, and Delgado pointed a 9 mm Glock at Garcia three times before shooting him, according to police reports.

Delgado’s girlfriend, Savannah Racquel Tautaupale, 27, the driver of the getaway vehicle, was arrested for DUI and being an accessory after the fact. Delgado and Tautaupale were heading to Mexico when deputies stopped their vehicle.

It’s unclear how her case was adjudicated in court.

Because the incident was believed to be an active shooter situation, between 50 and 100 officers arrived at the casino after authorities were alerted, according to initial estimates.

Due to the shooting, portions of the gaming property and Highway 50 in both directions were closed temporarily while police searched for the suspects. Each room at the casino was inspected. Douglas County Sheriff’s deputies evacuated the north and Tahoe Towers of the hotel, and the casino was placed on lockdown while guests were ordered to shelter in place.

Dotty’s Casino in Stateline also was shuttered temporarily because of the shooting.

No one else was injured during the shooting.

The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Lake Tahoe recently was renamed the Golden Nugget Lake Tahoe Hotel & Casino.