Fatal cabdriver shooting case will go to grand jury

The case of a 21-year-old woman who faces a murder charge in the robbery and shooting death of a North Las Vegas cabdriver is expected to go before a Clark County grand jury soon.

Autumn Dawn Murry had a first appearance Tuesday morning in Las Vegas Justice Court in connection with the March 4 death of Tesfaye Arze, 30, who was found laying in the street near his taxi in the northeast valley.

Justice of the Peace Melanie Tobiasson set her preliminary hearing for 9 a.m. March 29.

During the morning hearing, Tobiasson appointed public defender Norman Reed to be her attorney.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Marc DiGiacomo told the judge the case will go to a grand jury soon. Tobiasson told Murry that if the grand jury does not return an indictment, Murry's preliminary hearing would stand on March 29.

Murry asked what the difference was and Reed told the judge he would explain it to her.

Tobiasson said she would not set bail in the matter.

Murry is charged with burglary while in possession of a deadly weapon, carrying a concealed firearm or other deadly weapon, robbery with the use of a deadly weapon and murder with the use of a deadly weapon.

She is believed to be one of two women who were last seen getting into Arze's cab on the taxi's surveillance camera. Police are still searching for the second woman, Felicia Mosely, 18, as a person of interest in the case.

Anyone with information about Mosely or about the shooting is being asked to call Metro's Homicide Section at 828-3521 or Crime Stoppers at 385-5555.

According to police, officers responded at 3:36 a.m. March 4 to reports of shots fired in the 6300 block of High Sierra Avenue, near Mt. Hood Street and Carey Avenue. Police said they found Arze in the street, shot to death outside his taxi.

The Clark County Coroner's Office said he died of a gunshot wound to the head.

Detectives investigating the case said they thought robbery was the motive behind the shooting.

Murry also is accused of robbing a Mini Mart, 4563 E. Russell Road, shortly before 2:30 a.m. on March 4, about an hour before Arze was shot, police said in a criminal complaint.

Murry had been a military police officer based at Fort Polk, La., but she was discharged from the U.S. Army on Dec. 14, 2010, military officials said.