LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Erick Rangel-Ibarra has pleaded not guilty in the killing of a Las Vegas woman in 2020.
Rangel-Ibarra, 30, was arraigned Thursday on charges of murder and destroying evidence. He is accused of killing Lesly Palacio, 22, of Las Vegas, in August 2020. Authorities found Palacio’s body near Valley of Fire State Park in early September 2020, nearly two weeks after her family reported her missing.
Rangel-Ibarra was named the main suspect shortly after Palacio’s disappearance, but he fled to Mexico. Mexican authorities arrested him in August 2024. He remained in Mexico until last month, when he was extradited to Las Vegas to face charges.
Jose Rangel, Rangel-Ibarra’s father, pleaded guilty to being an accessory to murder and destroying evidence in 2021 after telling police he helped his son transport Palacio’s body. Rangel was sentenced to two years in prison but served between eight and nine months before he was released.
In court Thursday, Rangel-Ibarra waived his right to have a jury trial set within 60 days. The judge set his trial for Aug. 24, 2026. He will remain in the Clark County Detention Center, where he is being held without bail.
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