Circus Circus Murderer Found Guilty, Facing Death Penalty

On Tuesday, a Las Vegas jury found Julius Trotter guilty of murdering two Vietnamese tour leaders at a Circus Circus hotel six years ago. 

Now, he’s facing the death penalty. 

Earlier this year, a teenager was found guilty of murder at the Luxor. 

The Victims

The two victims, Sang Boi Nghia and Khuong Ba Le Nguyen were found stabbed to death in their hotel room in northern Vegas. The crime occurred on June 1, 2018. 

The suspect at the time, Trotter, was discovered through casino security footage. He was arrested two days later in Chino, California, after being chased by police. 

Trotter was spotted in an elevator at the hotel at 4 am, around the time when the victims were killed. From there, he was spotted on video returning to his room about 45 minutes later at Circus Circus. 

He then checked out of the room, even though he had booked it for multiple nights. 

Trotter Was a Door Pusher

According to prosecutors, Trotter was “door pushing,” a crime in which individuals check hotel rooms for unlocked doors. 

Nghia and Nguyen’s door latch wasn’t working properly, allowing Trotter to come in. 

Police said this type of crime was “not uncommon” in the city at the time of the crime. 

Additional footage showed Trotter leaving Circus Circus and depositing cash at an ATM before checking into the Palms. 

Upon his arrest, police found items belonging to Nghia and Nguyen, including their backpack, purse, and watch. 

Burton Gambled Plenty

In addition to the items, the police found traces of Nghia and Nguyen’s blood on a pair of sneakers that also had DNA from Trotter. These were the same type of shoes Trotter was wearing on the night of the crime. 

Trotter claimed he was in the elevator because he had plans to visit with a sex worker. 

He also said he got the victim’s items from a friend who fenced stolen items. As for the sneakers, Trotter claimed he was known to buy and sell sneakers. 

The sneakers were size 11.5. Trotter wears size 13. 

Now, jurors will decide if he’ll spend the rest of his life in prison or face the death penalty.