Arrest Made in Brutal 1980 Murder of Young Las Vegas Mother
Local Las Vegas press noted the 1980 murder of Sandra DiFelice was among the most savage crimes in the city’s history. Despite this, the DiFelice murder did not garner much attention in the local news. Photo of DiFelice near the time of her murder. (Las Vegas-Clark County Library District/LVRJ/LVMPD)
Described by a local journalist as “one of the most savage murders in Las Vegas’ history,” the slaying of a young mother on the day after Christmas in 1980 remained unsolved for over four decades. But advances in DNA testing technology would eventually lead to the arrest of a suspect in the brutal crime.
DiFelice had a 3-year-old daughter that resided with her at the time of her murder in East Las Vegas. (LVMPD)
a savage morning murder
25-year-old Sandra DiFelice had moved from Idaho to Las Vegas with a childhood friend, and the two rented a home together on East Bonanza Road not far from downtown Las Vegas. DiFelice was recently divorced and moved to Vegas along with her young daughter. Her parents lived in the growing desert city, and DiFelice hoped this family support system would help in adjusting to her new life. The young woman took a job as a waitress at Sambo’s Restaurant at the intersection of Bonanza and Las Vegas Boulevard.
DiFelice’s roommate left their shared residence in a one-story house located at 1505 East Bonanza Road around 7:30 a.m. on the morning of December 26, 1980. DiFelice’s boyfriend arrived at the home with one of his friends two hours later and encountered a horrific scene.
The body of Sandra DiFelice was found by her boyfriend and his friend in a bedroom of the house. DiFelice was laying faceup on the bed surrounded by walls covered in blood. Homicide detectives determined that she had been beaten, stabbed and strangled after being sexually assaulted.
DiFelice’s baby had been spending the day at her grandparents’ house.
Paul Nuttall was interviewed by police as a potential suspect in the DiFelice murder not long after the slaying, but there was insufficient evidence to charge him with the crime. Nuttall largely avoided run-ins with the law after the DiFelice murder and went on to have children of his own. Nuttall faced criminal charges in the 90’s for nonpayment of child support. DNA evidence linked Nuttall to the DiFelice murder, and he was arrested for the crime in October of 2022. Nuttall maintains his innocence. (LVMPD/Clark County Courts/CCDC/Las Vegas-Clark County Library District/LVRJ)
40 year hunt for a suspect
Police ruled out DiFelice’s boyfriend and ex-husband as suspects in the murder. Homicide detective Lt. John Conner told reporters, “The residence was not ransacked and rape appeared to be the motive.”
One person of interest interviewed by investigators around the time of the murder was 21-year-old Paul Nuttall, an acquaintance of DiFelice’s roommate. In fact, DiFelice’s roommate had an encounter with Nuttall outside her house on the morning of the murder. Nuttall said he had nowhere else to go and asked to stay at her home. The roommate declined, noting that she was already living with DiFelice. However, police lacked enough evidence to tie Nuttall to the murder.
Until October of 2022, when officers with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s cold case division used new DNA analysis techniques to tie Paul Nuttall to the murder of Sandra DiFelice. Nuttall was arrested at his northwest Las Vegas home. When police told him why he was being arrested for the DiFelice murder, Nuttall denied knowing who that was.
Nuttall managed to avoid charges for any other violent crimes over the decades after the DiFelice murder, though he did face criminal charges for nonpayment of child support in the late-90’s. He will now face open murder charges and remains the alleged killer of Sandra DiFelice.
The scene of the DiFelice murder later became a well-known East Las Vegas landmark - the local headquarters of The Hells Angels. (Google Maps)
One final note about this case is that the scene of the DiFelice murder would later become a well-known Las Vegas landmark, especially for anyone making frequent trips up or down Bonanza Road. The Hells Angels eventually acquired the property and turned it into the headquarters for the group’s Las Vegas chapter.
Links to News About the Arrest of Paul Nuttall:
Man arrested in woman's 1980 Las Vegas murder after DNA match
Las Vegas police arrest man in 1980 slaying of 25-year-old mother