From Law & Crime · · 3m
Woman's cigarette denial led to deadly beating
Nevada man sentenced to prison after beating boyfriend to death over cigarette dispute.
In brief
Nevada man sentenced to prison after beating boyfriend to death over cigarette dispute. Shiloh Leutu received a prison sentence after fatally beating Scott Dennis, who tried to protect his girlfriend from Leutu's insults and harassment. Originally reported by Law & Crime.
Cigarette dispute sparks violence
A Nevada man is headed to prison after he admitted to beating a woman's boyfriend to death as the victim tried to shield her from the attacker and another individual.
Leutu pleads guilty to manslaughter
Shiloh Leutu was sentenced to serve between three and eight years in prison after he pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in August.
Cigarette refusal triggers harassment
The man Leutu killed, Scott Dennis, was in line at a Las Vegas food bank on July 9 when the 38-year-old and another individual asked Dennis' girlfriend for a cigarette.
Girlfriend denied cigarette
The woman told them she didn't smoke, so Leutu and the man with him allegedly began accosting and ridiculing her for it.
Dennis steps in to protect
Dennis had stepped out of line to smoke, saw what was going on and then returned to shield his girlfriend from Leutu.
Leutu attacks Dennis
Police used witness statements and surveillance video to determine that Leutu attacked and fatally beat Dennis outside the food bank.
Leutu's violent actions
Police said he kept hitting and kicking Dennis as he tried to get up off the ground.
Police report details
Detectives learned that the victim and a friend were in a line waiting for a business [the food bank] to open.
Violence escalates
A male approached the friend and started yelling at her. The victim stepped in and the male struck him in the face causing him to fall to the ground.
Two men beat victim
A second male jumped in and the two continued to beat the victim until the crowd could stop them.
Leutu and accomplice flee
Leutu and the other man both left, and Leutu was tracked down and taken into custody on July 15.
Charges dropped
Court records show that Leutu was originally charged with open murder and battery of an older person resulting in substantial bodily harm, but the Clark County District Attorney's Office later decided not to pursue the…
Leutu's admission
Leutu allegedly told detectives that Dennis had put him and the other suspect in headlocks after Dennis hit and kicked them.
Surveillance contradicts claim
Surveillance footage, however, showed that Leutu was the aggressor.
The headline
Shiloh Leutu received a prison sentence after fatally beating Scott Dennis, who tried to protect his girlfriend from Leutu's insults and harassment.
