LAS VEGAS — UPDATE: Shane Schindler pleaded not guilty Thursday to an attempted murder charge, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
Schindler is accused of using a hammer to attack a police mannequin that was being used as a decoy.
Read the original report below.
Police in Las Vegas were determined to uncover a lead in the brutal killings of two homeless people, so they set up a decoy.
Daniel M. Aldape, 46, was found dead Jan. 4 and David H. Dunn, 60, was discovered Feb. 3. Both died of head injuries, the coroner said. Police found no signs of a robbery in either case and believe the two murders are connected.
Capt. Andrew Walsh came up with the plan to set up a decoy in a vacant lot in the downtown area where the murders occurred, according to The Associated Press.
>> Read more trending stories
Police said Shane Allen Schindler, 30, was seen on surveillance video on on Feb. 22 attacking the mannequin with a 4-pound ball-peen hammer. He was charged with attempted murder, which has generated a debate within the legal community.
Clark County Public Defender Phil Kohn called the attempted murder charge "a legal impossibility," because one can't kill an inanimate object, but law professor Deborah Denno told The Associated Press that "most states take into account what a defendant is thinking at the time of a crime."
Schindler has been ordered to undergo a mental competency evaluation. Bail was kept at $50,000.
The investigation into the homeless homicides continues.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/7QOJU3BNCJERBNKJC5LWTBYFLU.png)
