{"id":166453,"date":"2021-03-06T00:00:12","date_gmt":"2021-03-06T08:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=166453"},"modified":"2021-03-06T17:53:33","modified_gmt":"2021-03-07T01:53:33","slug":"man-accused-of-las-vegas-strip-fatal-punch-claims-he-was-stalked-maintains-innocence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/man-accused-of-las-vegas-strip-fatal-punch-claims-he-was-stalked-maintains-innocence\/","title":{"rendered":"Man Accused of Las Vegas Strip Fatal Punch Claims He Was Stalked, Maintains Innocence"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brandon Leath, who allegedly threw a single fatal punch on the Strip Sunday, reportedly denies any wrongdoing. But he now faces a murder charge in the death of a retired police officer.<\/p>\n

\"If
Thomas Driscoll, left, and Brandon Leath shown above. Leath allegedly threw a fatal punch at Driscoll near the Las Vegas Strip. He faces a murder charge in local court. (Images: CT State Police Alumni Association (left) and Metro Police)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Leath, 33, appeared in Las Vegas court this week for allegedly causing the death of a retired Connecticut state trooper who was visiting Nevada.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, when Leath appeared before Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Diana Sullivan, she warned him not to speak in court. But he did so anyway.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have been stalked, and there have been people that have been doing a lot of things,\u201d Leath told Sullivan, according to local news reports. \u201c\u2026This is very serious. This is my life. Ma\u2019am, I did not do anything wrong.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The case was continued until later this month. Earlier this week, Leath was being held at the Clark County Detention Center without bail.<\/p>\n

Mace Yampolsky was appointed to represent Leath. He is a criminal defense attorney in Nevada and is a past president of the Nevada Attorneys for Criminal Justice.<\/p>\n

Yampolsky had no comment to the media when asked about the murder case. If convicted, Leath could face life in prison.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Shortly after the punch, Leath was apprehended by police officers near The Mirage. He denied punching Driscoll, the Las Vegas Review-Journal<\/em> reported based on police statements. But he confirmed he was in the area of the incident, the report adds.<\/p>\n

The victim, Thomas Driscoll<\/a>, 57, of Chicopee, Mass. worked for the Connecticut State Police for 22 years before retiring in 2009. For much of his career, he was assigned to the bomb squad.<\/p>\n

At about 4:30 am Sunday, Driscoll and a woman were walking across a pedestrian bridge between The Cromwell Las Vegas Casino and Bally\u2019s Las Vegas Casino. Leath began arguing with them, police said.<\/p>\n

Then, the couple took a downward escalator. Leath allegedly made his way down nearby stairs.<\/p>\n

The confrontation continued at the base of the escalator where Leath allegedly punched Driscoll. The ex-trooper fell onto his back from the impact.<\/p>\n

Driscoll was taken to Sunrise Medical Hospital in Winchester, Nev. He was declared dead about an hour later, KLAS, a local TV station, reported.<\/p>\n

An autopsy by the Clark County coroner\u2019s office ruled the death was a homicide. Driscoll suffered injuries to the area near the base of his skull.<\/p>\n

The woman was later identified as Nava Fuehrer. She apparently was not injured.<\/p>\n

The incident was captured on surveillance camera video. It later was reviewed by local police.<\/p>\n

Leath Allegedly Involved in Prior Unrelated Violence<\/h2>\n

Following the fatal attack, two unnamed men told KVVU, a local TV station, that they had tried to report Leath to Las Vegas Metropolitan Police for an alleged violent attack and other crimes unrelated to Driscoll.<\/p>\n

The two men alleged Leath was a “ticking time bomb.” Leath allegedly punched one of the two men in a local convenience store near Fremont Street, the TV report said.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The man became unconscious after getting knocked out, the report claims.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have to see a doctor about my possible concussion,\u201d the victim told the TV station. He claims to suffer from headaches and blurred vision, the report adds.<\/p>\n

Prior Strip Violence<\/h2>\n

Since last year, there has been an uptick in violent crime along the Strip. Several people were hospitalized after shootings and other violence took place on or near the Strip.<\/p>\n

In response, Metro police and other law enforcement agencies initiated a selective enforcement program called Operation Persistent Pressure<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Brandon Leath, who allegedly threw a single fatal punch on the Strip Sunday, reportedly denies any wrongdoing. But he now faces a murder charge in the death of a retired police officer. Leath, 33, appeared in Las Vegas court this week for allegedly causing the death of a retired Connecticut state trooper who was visiting […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":166041,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMan Accused of Las Vegas Strip Fatal Punch Claims He Was Stalked<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Brandon Leath who allegedly threw a single deadly punch near the Las Vegas Strip denies any wrongdoing. 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