District Judge Michelle Leavitt rejected a request for probation and sentenced 49‑year‑old Antoine Cloutier to six to 15 years in prison for a 2021 killing. The shooting occurred in September 2021 at a home on the 6900 block of Montcliff Avenue after a dispute over who should occupy the residence.
Cloutier, his wife and child were sharing the house with 44‑year‑old Rafael Ampier Jr., his girlfriend and the landlord’s lease holder. Ampier told Cloutier his family needed to move out, but they had not left by the night of the incident. A fight broke out in the garage, involving a struggle over a knife, and Cloutier then fired a weapon, striking Ampier in the right back of the chest, according to the Clark County coroner’s office.
The case remained pending until July 2026 when Cloutier entered an Alford plea to voluntary manslaughter with a deadly weapon, acknowledging that prosecutors had sufficient evidence. He told the judge he had “sincere sorrow” and was “deeply sorry for the pain and loss that have come from this tragedy.” Defense attorney Augustus Claus asked for probation, saying the gun discharged during an active fight.
Ampier’s mother, Delfina Razo, said, “He did not deserve to be shot in cold blood in the back,” and expressed the loss of never seeing her son again. Sister Jacqueline Ampier described her brother as “a good man” and “an amazing person.” The judge imposed the prison term despite the defense’s request.
Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Original reporting: Las Vegas Review-Journal →
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