Brandon casino

UPDATE ON MAY 8, Ricky Fuentes pleaded not guilty in court on Wednesday. His bail is still set for $5 million.

The man accused of fatally stabbing someone in the neck at random at a casino was charged with first degree murder Wednesday afternoon. 

Judge Jill Klinge at Ricky Fuentes' first court appearance on Monday found probable cause to charge the him with first-degree murder. Prosecutors alleged this was an unprovoked attack on a complete stranger, and that Fuentes is a clear threat to community safety. 

Fuentes is still in custody and is being held on a $5 million bond.

"It was random. It was violent. It occurred in front of a large group of people," the prosecutor stated. 

RELATED | Man killed after stranger randomly stabs him in the neck inside Muckleshoot Casino

A year-old man died in the Sunday attack as he gambled inside Muckleshoot Casino and Resort. Auburn police said the victim was at a gaming table around a.m. Sunday when someone came from behind and stabbed him in the neck.

“A terrifying situation at Muckleshoot Casino and Resort,” APD Spokesperson Kolby Crossley told KOMO News Sunday.

In newly filed court documents, police allege that Fuentes told an officer he went to the casino to kill an associate, but could not find him so searched for someone else to kill. He allegedly told the officer the saw the victim being a bully at the craps table and admitted to stabbing him in the neck, the documents state. Police took a box cutter found at the scene as evidence.

Liyah Miller-Espinoza was at Fuentes' first appearance and identified the year-old victim as her boyfriend Brandon Larson. She believes this was a random attack and said she spoke with Larson over the phone just minutes before he died.

“There was nothing possible between the two of them. Brandon was not the type to start drama. he just loved me, he wanted to get home to me,” Miller-Espinoza explained.

Prosecutors revealed Fuentes has a lengthy criminal history that includes a warrant for assault in Olympia, and pending cases for reckless driving and possession of dangerous weapons. At the time of his arrest for the alleged casino murder, court documents show that Fuentes had a bench warrant out for his arrest for failing to appear in Olympia Municipal Court.

This case has prompted worry and anger for casino visitors as they seek answers about how the tragedy could have happened.

“They got security and metal detectors, so how’d they get through with the knife?” one casino visitor asked.

“It’s usually a real friendly place to be,” another woman stated.

KOMO News reached out to Muckleshoot for a response to this incident, their security practices and what could change as a result of this stabbing. KOMO News did not hear back as of Monday afternoon.