Las Vegas man accused of killing landlord makes 1st court appearance
A Las Vegas man accused of killing his landlord last week will remain in custody until a preliminary hearing later this month.
Christopher Rainey, 37, was arraigned Tuesday in Las Vegas Justice Court before Justice of the Peace Lisa Luzaich, after Rainey initially refused to appear on Friday.
Rainey was arrested and booked Thursday at the Clark County Detention Center on suspicion of open murder and assault with a deadly weapon and, according to online court records, is being held without bail.
Rainey on Thursday is accused of fatally shooting 39-year-old Steven Lucchesi after he attempted to evict Rainey, according to a Metropolitan Police Department arrest report. Police were called to their residence in the 3600 block of North Campbell Road just after 4:45 p.m., and responding officers reported finding Lucchesi face down with multiple gunshot wounds to the back.
Lucchesi was declared dead at the scene and Rainey surrendered to officers almost immediately after their arrival, police said.
Rainey’s hearing Tuesday lasted only a few moments, and he was being represented Tuesday by Clark County Public Defender Tyler Gaston. Luzaich on Tuesday granted Gaston’s request to schedule Rainey’s preliminary hearing within 15 days, but a specific time and date for the proceeding was not determined.
Contact Casey Harrison at charrison@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Casey_Harrison1 on X. or @casey-harrison.bsky.social on Bluesky.
