LAS VEGAS — A man accused of killing a woman with a sledgehammer while she was calling 911 for help told police who arrested him about “smashing people” and said the woman asked him to hit her, a prosecutor told a judge on Friday.
“The violence is almost unspeakable,” Chief Deputy Clark County District Attorney Peter Thunell said while Clinton Earl Taylor, 36, stood in custody before Justice of the Peace Ann Zimmerman.
Taylor spoke nearly unintelligibly of owning a dog and clothes, told the judge he sells things on the streets, and asked whether he was going to be freed from jail.
His court-appointed public defender, Marissa Pensabene, sought his release on bail, but Zimmerman ordered Taylor to remain in jail ahead of a Wednesday hearing at which prosecutors are due to file criminal charges.
“I think you’re a danger to the community,” the judge said.
The Clark County coroner has not yet identified the woman, who Las Vegas police say told a 911 dispatcher about a man with a sledgehammer outside the laundromat about 5 a.m. Thursday. Police say screaming was heard and the line disconnected.
Arriving officers found Taylor covered with blood and carrying a sledgehammer. A statement from police said detectives think the killing was a random act of violence.
Pensabene declined to comment about the case or whether defense attorneys will seek a psychological evaluation for Taylor.
