LAS VEGAS (AP) - A former casino employee said nothing in court, and his lawyer offered little comment following his first court appearance Wednesday before a Las Vegas judge in a fatal company picnic shooting.
Outside court, Deputy Public Defender Joseph Abood characterized Anthony J. Wrobel as “stunned” following his extradition from Oldham County, Texas, to face charges including murder, attempted murder and battery with a weapon.
Abood said he had just been appointed to Wrobel’s case and it was too early to comment.
Wrobel, 42, of Las Vegas, stood in shackles while Judge Harmony Letizia ordered him held without bail pending a July 11 preliminary hearing of evidence. The case could lead to a death penalty trial.
Wrobel is accused of killing Venetian casino executive Mia Banks and wounding co-worker Hector Rodriguez April 15 in front of shocked colleagues who later told police they recognized Wrobel as the gunman.
Banks and Rodriguez worked at the Las Vegas Strip property since it opened in 1999 and Wrobel worked as a table games dealer for 14 years.
A one-page note expressing anger at Venetian management was found at Wrobel’s home in Las Vegas, according to a police arrest report. The exact contents were not made public.
Authorities said Wrobel was arrested four days after the shooting, sleeping in a car with a stolen Utah license plate at a remote Interstate 40 rest stop in the Texas Panhandle, not far from the New Mexico state line.
Wrobel had a 9mm handgun with him, but surrendered without incident. Authorities have not said where Wrobel was going, but said they believed he acted alone in the slayings.
Wrobel’s transfer in custody from Texas to Nevada was delayed for two months while he contested whether he was the person sought on an arrest warrant issued April 17 in Las Vegas.
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