Inmate stabbed to death inside Las Vegas-area prison: sources
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Nevada prison officials are investigating the alleged murder of an inmate inside High Desert State Prison outside Las Vegas, the 8 News Now Investigators have learned.
Robert Villalobos, 38, an inmate in Nevada through an agreement with the state of Arizona, who was serving a life sentence, was stabbed multiple times in a common area of the prison on April 19, sources said.
The killing appeared to be gang-related, and three to four suspects have been identified, according to sources. The unit where the stabbing occurred was placed on lockdown.
Villalobos was convicted in 2017 for attacking and plotting to kill a detention officer who was stabbed more than 20 times inside the Pinal County, Arizona, jail, the Associated Press reported. The officer survived.
'Court documents indicate the defendants have ties to the Arizona Mexican Mafia prison gang,' the AP reported.
Villalobos was transferred to Nevada's prison system on Nov. 20, 2024, the Nevada Department of Corrections reported.
The department also announced the recent deaths of two additional inmates.
Michael Sonner, a death row inmate, was pronounced dead at High Desert State Prison on April 23, according to the department. Sonner, 57, appeared to have collapsed in his cell, sources said. Sonner killed a Nevada Highway Patrol trooper in 1993.
Samuel Abraham, 71, was pronounced dead at Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center on April 19. He was serving 840 months to life with the possibility of parole at North Nevada Correctional Center for sexual assault, kidnapping in the first degree, and use of a deadly weapon, according to the department. Sources said he appeared to die of natural causes.
An autopsy was requested for all three inmates, and next-of-kin was notified, the department said.
To reach investigative reporter Vanessa Murphy, email vmurphy@8newsnow.com.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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