Family, friends protest sentence for Las Vegas grocery store guard’s killer

A judge ordered an eight- to 20-year prison sentence Thursday for the man who killed a supermarket security guard trying to stop a grocery theft, and a five- to 15-year sentence for his accomplice — punishment family and friends of the victim protested.

The sentence followed the terms of a February plea deal in which Miguel Narro, 37, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and robbery with a deadly weapon in exchange for a stipulated eight- to 20-year prison sentence and Luis Lopez, 40, pleaded guilty to battery with intent to commit robbery and robbery with a deadly weapon for a five- to 15-year term in prison.

Authorities said Narro shot Alexander Maceo-Sanabria in the head July 20 as the guard tried to prevent Lopez from stealing groceries from the Marketon at 840 N. Decatur Blvd. in west Las Vegas.

Maceo-Sanabria was hospitalized and died a week later. After the shooting, police said the men drove to a house in North Las Vegas and had a barbecue with the items they stole.

“He was shot and murdered over a bag of groceries, and I can’t believe that the prosecution made a plea agreement for voluntary manslaughter when he should have been getting at least a minimum second-degree murder,” said Rolando Alburquerque, a friend speaking in court for the victim’s family.

Narro “deserves to rot in jail for the rest of his life,” Alburquerque added.

After court, he said, “What happened here today was an injustice for Alex.”

Chief Deputy District Attorney Parker Brooks was sympathetic.

“I understand and actually appreciate the victim’s family who doesn’t think that that’s enough for a loved one’s death,” he said. “I’m at no point going to advocate that any sentence would make anyone feel whole, so anything they have to say with regard to being unhappy with me or the sentence is totally fine and understandable.”

District Judge Tierra Jones described the case as “tragic.”

“I wish that somebody was going to walk out of here today believing that they are a winner based on what happened today,” she said, “but there are no winners in this situation, and whatever happens here today is never going to heal the pain that this has inflicted on this family.”

Lopez apologized to the victim’s family. Narro had nothing to say to the court, but Alburquerque said he looked toward the victim’s friends and said he was sorry as he was led out of the courtroom.

Monti Jordana Levy, Lopez’s defense attorney, said her client did not have an extensive or recent criminal history. “This is not indicative of who he is at all,” she told the judge.

Lopez has remorse and “never intended for anyone to be harmed,” she said, but understands his actions set in motion what happened. After court, she said her client did not have a gun or shoot anyone, but “admitted to going into a store to steal food.”

Amarilys Alvarez, Maceo-Sanabria’s partner, said through a friend, who interpreted for her, that she didn’t agree with the plea deal. She didn’t know what the sentence would be until she got to court, she said.

Brooks said a detective and victim advocate were in communication with the family. Alvarez was informed of the sentence, he said.

Alvarez remembers her partner as “a good man.”

Maceo-Sanabria was born in Cuba and worked two jobs, according to Alburquerque.

“Alex was a wonderful person, loved by many,” said Alburquerque. “He was the kind of guy that would take his shirt off and give it to you if you needed it.”

Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BrighamNoble on X.