Las Vegas Sex Assault Suspect Faces Court Hearing for 1996 Incident

Posted on: April 27, 2022, 06:57h. 

Last updated on: April 27, 2022, 11:22h.

Ed Silverstein @casinoorgedsilv Read More
Expertise: Legal, Tribal Gaming.

A Texas man accused in a 26-year-old sexual assault case in Las Vegas reportedly was released on $6,000 bail after his arrest in March. Lawrence David Shaw is scheduled to appear at a court hearing on May 18.

Lawrence David Shaw
Lawrence David Shaw, pictured above. He was apprehended in Texas in connection with a 1996 sex assault at a Las Vegas casino. (Image: Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office)

Nevada authorities want Shaw to stand trial for the alleged attack outside a Las Vegas casino. He will need to be extradited from Texas. Las Vegas Metro police chose not to arrest the suspect around the incident. But a recent warrant arrest was the result of a DNA test.

The attack took place on Jan. 13, 1996, in the King 8 Hotel and Casino parking lot on West Tropicana Avenue, police said. That gaming property is now the site of the Wild Wild West Gambling Hall & Hotel.

Shaw was questioned by police in 1996 about the circumstances surrounding the incident. But he was not charged at the time.

A DNA sample from Shaw was tested after the incident. A sample found on the victim matched that taken from Shaw’s blood sample, based on police reports. The results were sent to police in June 2019.

Conflicting Stories

Shaw told cops that sex between him and the victim was consensual, reported KLAS, a Nevada TV station. That conflicted with his earlier statement to police that he never had sex with her, the report added.

He also admitted to police that he “got a little buzzed and did something stupid, and I don’t want to go to jail for it,” KLAS said. He also claimed to have a weak recollection of the incident.

The victim told cops a different version of events. According to the victim, she was in the casino but left while her husband continued to gamble. Shaw then went up to her and ordered her to come with him. He then brought her to a tractor-trailer, according to victim statements. He ordered her to get inside the vehicle and allegedly ordered her to lay on a bed in the truck.

Shaw then allegedly told her, “You are mine now. You’ll come live with me. I’ll take care of you, and you’ll never have to work again,” according to the victim’s statements.

Shaw Said He Was Victim’s ‘Daddy’

Shaw then allegedly sexually attacked the woman. She asked him to stop, police said. She told him she was married. Shaw then responded in a loud voice, “Don’t make me mad. I’m your daddy now,” according to the victim’s statement.

Eventually, the victim stopped resisting the sexual assault, KLAS said, based on police reports. She was fearful Shaw would hurt her if she attempted to escape from the truck, she claimed. But she eventually left the truck.

The incident led to a dispute between the victim and her husband. Later, the victim and her husband divorced, KLAS said.

Police asked her last September if she wanted to press charges against Shaw. The victim said she remains traumatized by the sex assault. She also noted it led to her marriage falling apart. So, she did press charges.

Shaw was apprehended last month by Hamilton County Sheriff’s deputies in Texas for the cold case.