LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A man who pleaded guilty to stabbing two people at University Medical Center last year will spend a minimum of 20 years in jail.
This week, a Clark County District judge sentenced Michael Earl to a sentence of 20 years to life in prison for the first degree murder charge and a consecutive term of one to 10 years on the attempted murder with a deadly weapon charge.
Court records show on Oct. 3, Earl reached a plea deal with prosecutors by pleading guilty but mentally ill.
On June 23, 2022, police said the stabbings happened in the psychiatric ward at UMC. At the time, police told Channel 13 that Earl left his hospital room and stabbed a man in another room "for an unknown reason". The victim, later identified as 29-year-old Porfirio Rea, died from his injuries.
Then, Earl went into the hallway and stabbed another patient before he was taken into custody in his room by correctional officers.
RELATED LINK: Suspect in UMC stabbing identified by LVMPD
Police said the incident was an isolated incident in a secure area of the hospital. Retired LVMPD detective Phil DiPalma previously told Channel 13 that in a secure facility, a search would have been done so psych patients don't have anything to hurt anyone.
