The mother of slain Las Vegas woman Tabatha Tozzi expressed mixed emotions Wednesday following the arrest almost two years later of her daughter’s alleged killer in Mexico in connection with, according to Mexican media reports, the slaying of another woman there.
“I am happy and also very sad,” said Regina Lacerda in a statement Wednesday. “The fight is not over. Justice is still not completely served. We want him to serve prison time and for him to serve here in Las Vegas.”
Oswaldo Natanahel Perez-Sanchez, who is suspected in the April 22, 2023, shooting death of Tozzi in Las Vegas, was arrested in Mexico on Tuesday, according to law enforcement officials on the both sides of the border.
“This arrest comes nearly two years after the murder of Tabatha Tozzi,” the Metropolitan Police Department said in a news release Wednesday.
According to Mexican authorities and published news reports, including those in the Mexican news outlet Riodoce, Perez-Sanchez is accused of killing Vivian Karely, 26, in the Mexican state of Sinaloa.
Identified in some reports as “Oswaldo Natanahee,” Perez-Sanchez was detained Tuesday at the Aguaruto Penitentiary Center in Sinaloa, reports said.
Metro said in its news release that Perez-Sanchez remained in Mexico on local charges pending extradition to the United States.
“(Vivian Karely’s name) deserves to be honored and we will keep honoring her as well,” Lacerda said. “I am heartbroken that the mother will be going through what I’ve gone to through these last two years. I don’t desire this on anyone.”
Lacerda said she knew that the arrest “was arriving soon and it finally did.”
Tozzi’s loved ones, according to the statement, plan to have a celebration of life for her from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. April 24 at Craig Ranch Regional Park in North Las Vegas.
This is a developing story. Check back for more details.
Contact Bryan Horwath at bhorwath@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BryanHorwath on X.