Man arrested for allegedly killing girlfriend in Las Vegas hotel room
LAS VEGAS NV July 17 2021 A 31-year-old California man was arrested on suspicion of murder Monday after his girlfriend was found dead in their Las Vegas hotel room, according to an arrest report.
Justin Medof was booked into Clark County Detention Center after Las Vegas Metropolitan Police responded to a homicide reported around 8:16 a.m. in the 4900 block of Dean Martin Drive, arrest and dispatch records indicate. An arrest report lists his current home city as Orange, California.
In an arrest report, police write they got a call from someone saying he woke up to find his girlfriend bloody and beaten.
A patrol sergeant arrived and found Medof giving a woman chest compressions. Other arriving officers took over chest compressions until medical personnel arrived, and they pronounced her dead at the scene. The medics noted to police that her body appeared to be in rigor mortis, the arrest report states.
In a press release, LVMPD said it appeared the woman suffered a head injury. A portion of the arrest report describing the room and the woman’s body was redacted, with LVMPD citing an open criminal investigation.
Medof told police that he got into an argument with his girlfriend in downtown Las Vegas the night before and left without her back to their room, according to the report.
He said he went to sleep and woke up to find her unconscious and the room covered in blood.
Homicide detectives responded and got surveillance video from the hotel showing Medof arrive around 2:12 a.m. The girlfriend arrived at the hotel about 13 minutes later.
She asked the night desk attendant if Medof was looking for her and if there were any messages for her, according to the report. The attendant told a detective there were no messages and that Medof wasn’t looking for her, adding that she seemed nervous and stayed in the hotel foyer for a few minutes before taking the elevator.
A check on the room showed the door was opened around 2:32 a.m. and was not opened again until police arrived around 8:25 a.m., the report states.
Police also spoke with the two people staying in the room next to Medof’s. They said they were woken up by loud noises between 2 and 3 a.m., and that it sounded like a man and woman fighting and furniture being moved around.
Police got a search warrant for the room, along with a forensic examination of Medof’s body. One detective saw red marks on his rib cage, back, shoulders and knees, along with abrasions on his left bicep, left elbow, knees and the top of his right foot. Medof said the abrasion on his bicep was old and tried to cover it with his hand, though he moved when asked by a crime scene analyst taking photos, according to the arrest report.
Medof was taken to LVMPD headquarters and, after being read his rights, stated he would not answer any questions without an attorney, police wrote. He was booked on suspicion of open murder, and his first court appearance was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.
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