May 14, 2014: Defendant Jason Omar Griffith is shown during a break in his trial at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas.AP/Las Vegas Sun
LAS VEGAS – A former
Las Vegas Strip
performer was found guilty Thursday of second-degree murder for killing
and dismembering his dancer ex-girlfriend in a closely watched case
that offered a lurid glimpse
behind the scenes of the Sin City stage community.
Jason Omar Griffith sat motionless as the verdict was read in
Clark County District Court, but blew a kiss to his mother, Charlene Davis, as he was handcuffed to be taken to jail.
Defense attorney Abel Yanez characterized Griffith's reaction as "numb. Not upset, not happy."
The jury deliberated for about 14 hours
over two
days after hearing nine days of testimony about the strangulation death
of Deborah Flores Narvaez during a Dec. 12, 2010, argument at
Griffith's home.
Flores' sister Celeste Flores Narvaez sobbed into her mother's
shoulder as the verdict was read. She had said she wanted Griffith to be
convicted of first-degree murder. The family left the courthouse
without speaking with reporters.
Griffith's defense attorneys said they will appeal, and Yanez added
that his client was not the person the killing suggested he was.
Prosecutor Marc DiGiacomo said he respected the verdict and understood it was difficult for jurors to decide guilt in
domestic violence cases.
He also said he expected Griffith to receive the maximum 10 years to life in prison at sentencing July 23.
"You don't get to dismember a body and not serve life in prison," DiGiacomo said.
Griffith could also get a definite 10- to 25-year sentence. He could
have faced up to life in prison without parole for first-degree murder.
Deborah Flores' disappearance in mid-December 2010 drew intense
attention for almost a month before Griffith's housemate, Louis Colombo,
led police to her dismembered remains in tubs of concrete in a vacant
house.
The trial was a tale of sex, lies, betrayal and violence between two passionate and ambitious Las Vegas Strip dancers.
Griffith spent four days testifying that Flores' death was
self-defense. He said he grabbed her from behind with his arms around
her neck when he thought she was reaching for a purse that may have
contained a gun. No weapon was found. He said he panicked afterward and
asked Colombo to help dispose of the body.
DiGiacomo derided Griffith's self-defense claim as a fabrication and said he did nothing to resuscitate Flores.
Griffith, 35, is originally from Brooklyn,
New York. He went
by the name "Blu" as a performer in the
Cirque du Soleil show "Love," based on Beatles music at The Mirage resort.
He testified that he juggled girlfriends and sexual acquaintances
before and after he met Flores at a football halftime show in November
2009.
Flores, who went by Debbie, moved to Las Vegas from Maryland. She
worked her way from go-go club work to a stage role in the racy
"Fantasy" revue at the Luxor.
Evidence showed that by the time they became intimate in early 2010,
Flores thought their relationship was monogamous. But Griffith was
meeting several women for
casual sex and pursuing Agnes Roux, a performer in the Cirque show "Zumanity" at
the New York-New York hotel.
Griffith testified that his relationship with Flores had movie-style
"Fatal Attraction" characteristics. He said she stalked, threatened,
harassed and assaulted him when he tried to limit their time together,
and that no one took him seriously despite more than a dozen calls to
police for help.
Prosecutor Michelle Fleck said Griffith fanned Flores' anger by
deceiving her about his sexual relationships, pulling away after
accompanying her to an abortion clinic in May, then resuming their
intimacy about the time of her 31st birthday in early July. The two
continued an off-and-on relationship until her death.
Flores had a temper, and several of Griffith's friends and co-workers
testified that she became violent when she was angry — drawing stares
and sometimes
security officers during outbursts in public places.
Roux testified that she broke up with Griffith after learning that he
was sleeping with other Cirque dancers. She said she told Griffith in
early December 2010 they couldn't be together if he was still seeing
Flores.
On the witness stand, Griffith testified the fatal argument developed
after Flores told him she was pregnant for the second time in about six
months and wanted another abortion. He said it escalated after Flores
demanded he quit seeing Roux and devote his full attention to her.
Flores' arm hit his face, Griffith said, as she reached past him
toward her purse. Griffith said he grabbed her from behind, fell
backward to the floor and held tightly until she stopped struggling.
Colombo testified he helped entomb and move the remains. He received
immunity from prosecution before leading police to the tubs of concrete
on Jan. 8, 2011.
Griffith was the one who sawed Flores' legs from her torso, Colombo said. Griffith said it was Colombo.
Though he might not be making much wave in the country like
before when he was seen in all shows, Nigerian celebrated artiste,
D’banj aka Koko master, has been selected as one of those to perform at
the 2014 edition