A Las Vegas couple faces murder charges after allegedly planning and executing the fatal stabbing of a registered sex offender in Arizona.
Jacob Dylan Middlebrook, 35, and Layne McIntosh, 36, were arrested in Las Vegas on Saturday following the discovery of a body in Bullhead City. According to the Bullhead City Police Department, the pair had known the victim for months and allegedly planned the killing in advance due to a “distaste for registered sex offenders,” Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
The victim was identified by police as Arron Christopher Warren, 29, a local transient. A May 26 Facebook post from the Bullhead City Police Department said that Warren was a Level 2 sex offender who had been convicted of attempted sexual conduct with a minor in 2022.
Detectives believe the homicide was a premeditated act. Police said that Middlebrook and McIntosh had predetermined a specific desert location to leave Warren’s body and had even measured furniture large enough to conceal him along the roadside, according to the Bullhead City Police Department.
The investigation began at approximately 11:45 a.m. on Saturday when a motorist reported finding a man lying at the side of the road in the 3100 block of Silver Creek Road. Preliminary findings from the investigation pointed toward the involvement of Middlebrook and McIntosh, who were also identified as local transients.
Both suspects were apprehended in Nevada and remain in custody at the Clark County Detention Center. As of Wednesday afternoon, they were listed in online jail records as wanted fugitives from Arizona awaiting extradition to Mohave County.
The legal process for the suspects has already begun in Nevada. Las Vegas Justice Court records show that Middlebrook and McIntosh appeared in court on Thursday and both waived their right to an extradition hearing.
The incident has prompted a reminder from local law enforcement regarding the purpose of sex offender registries. While the identities of offenders are public, police cautioned that this data is not intended for vigilante use.
“When a Level 2 or a Level 3 sex offender moves into our area or, more commonly, changes addresses, the Bullhead City Police Department shares that information as a public service to help keep residents informed,” the Bullhead City Police Department said in a Monday Facebook post.
The department emphasized that information posted online regarding registered offenders should not be used to threaten, intimidate, harass, or harm others. This distinction is critical as law enforcement agencies balance the public’s right to know with the need to prevent extrajudicial violence.
Middlebrook and McIntosh both face charges including first-degree murder, according to Arizona court records. A Bullhead City Police Department spokesperson did not respond Wednesday to a request for comment.
The suspects remain held in Clark County pending their return to Arizona to face trial for the stabbing.
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