Arrest made in Las Vegas cold case of murdered security officer
LAS VEGAS NV April 29 2022 DNA found in a Las Vegas murder victim’s pocket led to the arrest of a man nearly a decade later, the 8 News Now I-Team has learned.
Police took Alvin Harrison, Jr., who detectives said was 17 at the time of the murder, into custody last Friday, records showed.
On June 9, 2013, around 1:30 a.m., an employee at Desert Radiology was leaving his office at 2020 Palomino Lane, near Rancho and Alta drives, when he noticed the business’ security guard, Jose Parra, was lying in the parking lot, police said.
Parra was rushed to the hospital where he was declared deceased. An autopsy later determined he had died from multiple gunshot wounds and his death was a homicide.
Detectives said they recovered pieces of evidence in the parking lot, including a packet of dental floss and a pen. Investigators also discovered Parra’s watch and wedding ring were missing.
In 2014, an LVMPD forensic scientist developed a DNA profile from material in Parra’s shirt pocket. Police suspect Harrison put his hands into Parra’s pocket, pulling out its contents and throwing them on the ground.
In 2017, Metro received an alert from police in California that the DNA profile they had developed matched a recent arrest.
In October 2017, investigators learned Harrison lived in Las Vegas for several months in 2013, putting his home within two miles of the location of the murder, they said.
Once Harrison was developed as a suspect, police spoke with Parra’s family, asking if they had seen him or if their father may have known him. They said he was a stranger.
Police issued a warrant for Harrison’s arrest in 2019. Harrison was taken into custody last week, though special details about his arrest were not released.
Judge Joseph Bonaventure ordered Harrison to be held without bail.
Jail records listed Harrison’s age as 29, but police said he was born in 1995, making him 26 or 27.
