Las Vegas Crime News Roundup: Dead Woman Found in Luggage

Authorities have identified the corpse discovered inside a piece of luggage near the Las Vegas airport and are now trying to determine how Kristen Avelar died.

Avelar, 46, was found on Thursday morning near Spencer Street and East Reno Avenue. The location is less than a mile from .

Her death has been called “suspicious” by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD), whose homicide unit is investigating the case.

Officers are attempting to determine where Avelar was before being placed into the luggage. Police initially received a tip about a possible dead person in the luggage. Officers responded and discovered the corpse.

performed an on the woman, who doctors confirmed to be Avelar.

A man was sentenced to seven years in prison this week following a motel on in Las Vegas.

DaJuan Lamar “Popeye” Gamble, 41, was given the sentence on Monday by US District Court Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey in Las Vegas federal court. He will be placed on supervised release for three years following the completion of his prison sentence.

The incident took place on Sept. 1, 2022, when Gamble pulled out a semi-automatic pistol while outside of a motel on East Fremont Street. He discharged three or more shots at an SUV. A suspect inside the SUV returned gunfire at Gamble.

When Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) officers searched the motel, they found two firearms inside a boiler room.

One was a Smith Wesson M P Shield 9mm pistol and the other was a Norinco MAX-90 7.62 x 30mm semi-automatic rifle. They were stored in a black bag. The pistol was reported stolen from Dallas, Texas.

Gamble was apprehended and charged. Last October, he pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms.

Before that, he was convicted for attempting to discharge a firearm at or into an occupied structure, vehicle, aircraft or watercraft, accessory to murder, possession of stolen property, and possession of controlled substance with intent to sell, according to Las Vegas TV station KLAS.

Under Nevada law, a convicted felon can’t possess a gun.

Ensuring the safety of the public is at the forefront of ATF’s mission,” Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms Explosives (ATF) Special Agent Jennifer Cicolani said in a statement about Gamble’s sentence.

We will continue to work with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department to ensure that this type of violent conduct is not tolerated within the Las Vegas community and that the prosecution of those prohibited from having a firearm remains a priority.”