Adolfo Orozco-Garcia, the former owner of the Alpine Motel Apartments, has been sentenced in connection with the 2019 fire that killed six people and injured more than a dozen others.
On Tuesday, Judge Jacqueline Bluth handed down Orozco-Garcia's sentence: 19 months with a maximum of 48 months for each of the three counts, to be served concurrently.
“I originally had a much heftier sentence in mind,” Bluth said.
Alyssa Bethencourt breaks down the sentencing and the history behind this case:
Orozco-Garcia has 90 days to get his affairs in order before he must turn himself in, Bluth ordered.
The fire, which broke out in December 2019 at the downtown apartment complex near 9th Street and Ogden Avenue, is considered the deadliest residential fire in Las Vegas history. Six tenants were killed, thirteen were injured, and more than 50 residents were left homeless.
Orozco-Garcia entered an Alford plea earlier this year to two counts of involuntary manslaughter and one count of wanton disregard of safety resulting in substantial bodily harm or death. An Alford plea allows a defendant to maintain their innocence while acknowledging that prosecutors likely have enough evidence to secure a conviction.
In court on Tuesday, prosecutors presented surveillance and body-worn camera footage from the night of the fire. The video showed smoke filling the building and residents jumping from second-story windows in a desperate attempt to escape.
FROM THE ARCHIVES | Video shows residents fleeing the fire inside the Alpine Motel Apartments
A Channel 13 investigation in January 2020 found evidence of a pattern of repeat complaints about the conditions of the Alpine Motel Apartments and a fire safety violation history dating back 34 years.
Chief Deputy District Attorney John Giordani told the court there were no audible alarms or sprinklers and that several victims likely became disoriented in the heavy smoke.
The fire began in Unit 8, reportedly after a resident used the stove for heat. Prosecutors said it could have remained a small fire if proper safety systems were in place.
FROM THE ARCHIVES| 911 calls reveal more about what people saw and heard the night of the fire
Judge Bluth asked Orozco-Garcia if there was a failure to make necessary repairs in the months leading up to the fire and questioned his handling of tenant complaints, which were often addressed in a group chat.
13 Investigates
EXCLUSIVE: New details revealed in deadly Alpine Motel fire
Orozco-Garcia’s attorney, Dominic Gentile, argued his client did not act with intent to harm and pointed to multiple other individuals he said shared responsibility for the building’s condition.
Originally charged with 27 counts, Orozco-Garcia avoided trial by agreeing to the plea deal. He had been out of custody on $50,000 bail while awaiting sentencing.
The Alpine Motel building was later sold, redeveloped, and renamed the DLUX Lofts.
