LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — New court filings indicate that the Clark County District Attorney is seeking the death penalty against the suspect accused of stabbing a man to death on an RTC bus.
District Attorney Steven Wolfson filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty on Monday afternoon, according to court records.
In the filing, Wolfson indicates that the state's intent to seek the death penalty based on several circumstances, including the fact that Cole committed the murder while out on bail for a similar crime, the fact that the crime involved mutilation of the victim and the fact that the attack was done randomly and "without apparent motive."
59-year-old Aaron Cole was indicted by a grand jury in the fatal stabbing of 30-year-old Dominique Lucas, who an autopsy revealed was stabbed over 30 times.
According to an arrest report, the bus driver let Cole onto the bus with an "expired ticket" due to the backlog of added stops that day because of the Rock N' Roll Marathon. The driver told police that he could see Cole arguing with another passenger — identified as Lucas — but was not sure what it was about.
The attack was caught on surveillance footage, which was presented in front of the grand jury and also shows the heated exchange between Cole and Lucas prior to the stabbing.
Previous reports show that Cole was also arrested for a similar assault charge in Texas, where he pulled out a knife and threatened another passenger on a Keolis transit bus in February. He was released two days before Lucas' murder on a $3,000 bail.
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Cole is currently facing a charge of open murder and is being held without bail at Clark County Detention Center. He is currently being represented by a public defender.
He is due back in court on Thursday, April 6 at 9 a.m. for his arraignment.
