Ex-Palomino strip club owner, son convicted of second-degree murder
The former owner of the Palomino strip club and his son were convicted Tuesday in District Court of second-degree murder with a deadly weapon in the slaying of an ex-employee.
A Clark County jury convicted Luis Hidalgo Jr., 58, and his son, Luis Hidalgo III, 27. Both men also were convicted of conspiracy to commit battery with a deadly weapon or battery resulting in substantial bodily harm.
The jury had the option of convicting the pair of those counts or conspiracy to commit murder.
The younger Hidalgo also was convicted of two counts of solicitation to commit murder for trying to hire someone to kill witnesses in the case.
They were accused of conspiring to murder 44-year-old Timothy Hadland, who had been fired from his job as a doorman at the Palomino Club. He was fatally shot on an isolated road near Lake Mead on the night of May 19, 2005.
Luis Hidalgo Jr. remained stoic as the verdict was delivered. His son shook his head and appeared to be on the verge of tears.
The two are scheduled to be sentenced May 5.
Prosecutors declined to comment, as did Dominic Gentile, an attorney for the elder Hidalgo.
Attorney John Arrascada, who represented the son, said he respected the jury but was disappointed and disagreed with the verdict.
According to a Las Vegas police report, Hadland was marked for death after bad-mouthing the all-nude club and its owner to cabdrivers, costing the business thousands of dollars in lost revenue.
Authorities said Hidalgo and his son orchestrated the slaying of Hadland. Prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo also said during the trial that Luis Hidalgo III ordered that witnesses in the case be killed with rat poison.
Several co-defendants in the case have taken plea deals in exchange for their testimony, including Luis Hidalgo Jr.’s ex-girlfriend Anabel Espindola, 36, who pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter with a deadly weapon.
Deangelo Carroll, another defendant who agreed to wear a wire and recorded conversations between himself, Espindola and Luis Hidalgo III, is awaiting trial.
Contact reporter David Kihara at dkihara@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-1039.
