PHOTOS: Shooting suspects plead not guilty in Pahrump Justice Court
Two men accused of fatally shooting 22-year-old Joey Perry at Ian Deutch Memorial Park pleaded not guilty to murder on Thursday.
Anthony Aguilar, 18, and Carlos Blakely, 19, appeared before Justice of the Peace Kirk Vitto in Pahrump Justice Court.
Before the hearing began, relatives and friends of the defendants filled the left side of the courtroom gallery.
On the right side, Joey Perry’s mother, Mari Ausiello, was joined by more than a dozen supporters.
The shooting occurred around 10 p.m. July 5, when dozens of people, including small children, were attending the Movies in the Park event. During the movie, a fight broke out, Nye County Sheriff Joe McGill previously told the media.
After deputies arrived, the fight had resolved, so they left the park. Shortly thereafter, McGill added, a witness heard “automatic gunfire” and saw a red Chevy Camaro speed away.
Another witness police interviewed said that she knew Blakely and that he had graduated from Pahrump Valley High School in 2024, according to McGill. She also said Blakely had been known to carry a “fully automatic Glock handgun.”
When asked to clarify because Glock does not make or sell fully automatic weapons, McGill said, “It would be manufactured as a semi-automatic and modified, altered illegally to be fully automatic.”
Both held without bail
By July 8, Aguilar, Blakely, and Fabian Ferrante, 19, whom authorities initially identified as a “person of interest,” had all surrendered to authorities. Ferrante was later ruled out as a suspect and released.
At a July 9 hearing for Aguilar, prosecutors alleged that he was the shooter, noting that there were bullet holes and shell casings found matching the ammunition located at Aguilar’s residence.
At that hearing, Nye County public defender Karl Shelton asked the judge to set bail for Aguilar, saying it would be crucial to allow him to post bail so he could more easily take part in his own defense. JP Vitto did not agree, ruling: “I think the risk to the community is great. There is a demonstrable risk of failure to appear… As a result, Mr. Aguilar will be held without bail.”
Blakely turned himself in to the Metropolitan Police Department in Las Vegas on Monday, July 7. He appeared in a Las Vegas courtroom the following Thursday, where his attorney, Michael Troiano, did not contest extradition to Nye County. Blakely was held without bail and booked into Pahrump Jail on Friday, July 11.
Aguilar and Blakely both face one count of conspiracy to commit murder and another count of open murder, Vitto said.
The two are due back in court on September 23.
Contact Akiya Dillon at adillon@reviewjournal.com.
