Las Vegas woman, 22, charged with first-degree murder in fatal bar fight

Champagnes Cafe

Prosecutors have filed a first-degree murder charge in the fatal stabbing of a woman during a bar fight Tuesday at a Maryland Parkway nightspot.

The charge against Sarah Anne Chavez, 22, Las Vegas was filed Wednesday afternoon in Las Vegas Justice Court. Chavez, who remains jailed without bond in the Clark County Detention Center, is schedule to appear at 7:30 a.m. Friday for a bail hearing.

The Clark County Coroner's Office today officially identified the deceased woman as Misty Madera, 30. The coroner said Madera died from a stab to the chest and also had cuts to her upper right arm. The death was ruled a homicide. Madera was pronounced dead late Tuesday at Sunrise Hospital, police said, where she was transported after the incident.

According to the arrest report:

Police were dispatched about 11 p.m. to investigate reports of a fight at Champagnes Cafe, 3557 S. Maryland Parkway.

There, patrol officers found Madera in a back lot, suffering from an apparent stab wound. Also in the lot was Chavez, covered in blood and being detained by a bar patron.

Witnesses, including a bartender, told police the dispute apparently was triggered when Madera tripped Chavez’s boyfriend inside the bar. A series of arguments ensued and escalated into a three-way fight between Chavez, Madera and Madera’s sister. The fight spilled out a back door and into the lot.

In the lot, a bar patron separated Chavez and Madera, but Chavez reached around and punched Madera. Witnesses reported hearing Madera yell, “she has a knife.” A bartender, hearing Madera and seeing blood, called 911.

The bar patron who had separated the women detained Chavez while waiting for police, warning Chavez’s boyfriend to stay away from them. The boyfriend left before police arrived.

Under questioning by police, Chavez said the women identified as Madera and her sister were sitting in the back near the bar’s restrooms. Chavez’s boyfriend, Chavez said, had been tripped by one of the women on his way to the restroom. After some back-and-forth dispute between the women, Chavez and her boyfriend made their way out the back door. Chavez, however, said she decided to return inside to settle their issues.

During that discussion, Chavez told police Madera stood. Feeling threatened, Chavez said she punched Madera in the chest and the fight was on.

After initially denying knowledge of how Madera wound up being stabbed, Chavez told police she armed herself on the way back into the bar because she was afraid of the two women. Police discovered a Smith and Wesson folding knife south of the scene.

Anyone with any information about the incident is urged to contact Metro’s Homicide Section at 828-3521 or, to remain anonymous, Crime Stoppers at 385-5555 or online at crimestoppersofnv.com.