Thread: Illegal immigrant headed to prison | Maris Mareen DiGiovanni

Illegal immigrant headed to prison for Las Vegas showgirl murder had criminal record in sanctuary state

Yoni Barrios had a prior criminal record, but was never deported

By Peter D'Abrosca Fox News

Published April 25, 2025 10:57am EDT

An illegal immigrant from Guatemala will serve two consecutive life sentences for stabbing to death a Las Vegas showgirl and a Canadian tourist in 2022.

Yoni Barrios murdered Brent Allan Hallett, 47, and Maris Mareen DiGiovanni, 30, during a stabbing spree on the Las Vegas strip in October of that year. He also injured six in the attack.

He was initially deemed incompetant to stand trial and spent nearly two years in a hospital before pleading guilty to the crime in January, according to local reports. He was sentenced Tuesday.


Las Vegas Strip stabbing spree suspect Yoni Barrios makes his initial court appearance at the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas on Friday. Sources told Fox News that he was in the United States illegally and has a criminal record in California. (AP)

LAS VEGAS STABBING SUSPECT YONI BARRIOS APPEARS IN COURT

Barrios reportedly flew into a rage when a group of showgirls refused to take a photo with him, and pulled out a long-bladed kitchen knife which he used in the attack. He was captured outside the Wynn Hotel minutes later.
According to criminal records, Barrios had prior run-ins with the law in California, but was not removed from the country.


Maris Mareen DiGiovanni, a victim of the Las Vegas Strip stabbing on Oct. 7, 2022 (Facebook)

In 2016, he was prosecuted in Riverside, California for dangerous driving and driving without a license, according to reports from immediately after the stabbings. He paid a fine and was released back out onto the streets.

ICE told Fox News Digital that it was never alerted about Barrios' immigration status in 2016.


Images shows an apparent victim of the Las Vegas stabbing on Oct. 6, 2022. (Pierre Fandrich/LOCAL NEWS X /TMX| LVMPD)

In 2019, Barrios was charged with domestic violence, but never prosecuted, Fox News reported.

California is a "sanctuary state" for illegal immigrants, and does not typically cooperate with federal immigration authorities.

Peter D'Abrosca is a reporter at Fox News Digital covering campus extremism in higher education.

Follow Peter on X at @pmd_reports. Send story tips to peter.dabrosca@fox.com.