LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A man accused of killing his girlfriend in Verdi last week could also face charges here in the valley.
Earlier this week, court records show that a Henderson judge signed a warrant to arrest 40-year-old Jesce Richt. Those documents show he facing two charges: domestic battery by strangulation and coercion. That's after a woman claimed he attacked here in July 2022.
Court records show Richt was originally set to be in court on May 3 for an arraignment hearing but that has been vacated due to the charges he is facing in Washoe County.
Richt is accused of shooting and killing his girlfriend, Jessica Griffin, on April 18 in Verdi. The couple had been together for 20 years.
According to an arrest report, Richt was stopped on the I-15 near Primm on Monday after an officer identified the vehicle as being wanted in connection with the murder investigation.
The report states the driver was compliant and followed all of the officer's commands before being arrested and transported to the Clark County Detention Center.
According to our ABC affiliate in Reno, Griffin had taken out a series of protection orders against him that date back two decades. She filed the most recent order just weeks ago saying Richt threatened to kill her and their two children before dumping their bodies in the desert.
However, the most recent order was declined since a previous extended order was still in effect.
That order did not order him to surrender any firearms, though it’s uncertain how that or any other order would have been enforced.
"The first hurdle is getting the TPO but then the next thing is the enforcement," said Elizabeth Abdur-Raheem, the Executive Director of the Nevada Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence. "Enforcement is just a tricky situation because the onus is all on the victim."
Richt made his first court appearance for an extradition hearing on Thursday.
The judge said Reno authorities are coming to pick him up and take him back to Reno to face charges.
A status check is scheduled for next week.
