LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A man suspect of attacking four people with a knife in recent days is now behind bars after he was apprehended by Las Vegas Metropolitan Police.
Christopher Martell was booked into Clark County Detention Center for two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder, police said.
Metro's investigation began after a 57-year-old woman was found stabbed to death on Sept. 14, in the 1400 block of University Avenue.
She has since been identified as Jody Renee Devres.
Days later, a 74-year-old woman was killedapproximately a half-mile from the first attack. She has since been identified as Mary Susan Miller.
The severity of the attacks and their similarities prompted officials to enact the department's major case protocol, which maximizes resources and coordination available for the case, Capt. Dori Koren explained at a press conference on Thursday.
Surveillance footage from the attacks gave police a look at the suspect. They noticed he walked toward the same area after both attacks, leading them to believe he may live in that area, Lt. Jason Johansson with LVMPD's homicide section explained.
Police then identified different enforcement options and opportunities to raise awareness of the attacks in the area. University Police were notified because of the attacks' proximity to UNLV. Officers reached out to the Community Engagement homeless outreach team so they could warn unhoused people in the area and find out if any other attacks had gone unreported.
Forensic cameras were installed along the routes police believed the suspect was traveling.
An arrest came on Wednesday, when 911 callers reported an attack on two unhoused people walking in the 2700 block of Flamingo Road, near Desert Springs Hospital, Johansson said.
POLICE: Suspect in custody after stabbing two adults near Desert Springs Hospital
Cameras in the area identified the suspect leaving the scene along the same route as the previous murders. Patrol officers in the area were able to stop him in the 1400 block of Rochelle Avenue, and Martell was arrested.
Johansson noted Martell set down a black knife that was large and similar in description to the knife seen on surveillance footage. Police believe the same knife was used in all three of the attacks, Koren said.
They determined Martell lived alone in the 1600 block of Rochelle Avenue, near Caliente Street — the same area the suspect walked toward after the first two attacks, Johansson noted.
Martell's apartment was searched and officers identified clothing that matched what the suspect wore in surveillance footage, including a black puffer jacket, brown boots, a black fedora hat, and a pair of black and white shoes.
Both victims of Wednesday's attack, a woman in her 30s and an "elderly male," were critically injured. Capt. Koren described their condition as "stable" as of Thursday morning.
Metro officers were still in the process of reviewing open cases to see if any are connected to these attacks, Koren said.
"There's no doubt this is a very tragic situation, and as you've seen with every one of our press conference and every one of our investigations, is every single homicide that happens in our jurisdiction is a priority, and our team is relentless in investigating every case as quickly as we possibly can and trying to catch the suspects in these cases as quickly as possible," Koren said.
Koren also noted the efforts of the patrol officers who apprehended Martell.
"This is a dangerous profession, as we all know, and they knew what they were pursuing yesterday when the third incident happened, and they were fearless in trying to catch the suspect," Koren said. "Because of those courageous acts, we were able to catch him before he got away and before we lost any other evidence that we would have needed for this case, so a lot of credit goes to those officers yesterday."
