LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — More than a year after 23-year-old Joree Odabi was hit and killed while walking through his southwest Las Vegas neighborhood, a new legal fight in the case against the driver accused of killing him has reached the Nevada Supreme Court.
Daniel Stakleff is charged with DUI resulting in death and reckless driving resulting in death in connection with the May 6, 2025 crash. A grand jury indicted Stakleff on the two felony charges last year.
Channel 13 has now obtained evidence presented to that grand jury, including video showing the moments leading up to the deadly collision.
WATCH | Nevada Supreme Court asked to toss charges in deadly DUI involving Joree Odabi
The video shows Odabi walking along the sidewalk as a black Volkswagen driven by Stakleff travels along the road. The vehicle then veers, jumps the curb and heads toward Odabi.
Odabi is thrown into the air and debris scatters across the road. The 23-year-old died at the scene.
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His mother, Valerie Odabi, says the loss is still impossible to accept.
“He is so missed, so missed,” Odabi said.
Why Stakleff’s defense wants the charges thrown out
The new legal challenge centers on Stakleff’s THC level and what prosecutors were required to prove under Nevada law when the crash happened.
Prosecutors previously said Stakleff’s THC level was approximately seven times Nevada’s legal limit.
But Stakleff’s defense now argues that the numerical THC limit did not apply to the DUI resulting in death charge when Odabi was killed.
Instead, the defense argues prosecutors had to establish that Stakleff was actually impaired by marijuana, not simply that he had a certain amount of THC in his system.
The defense argues grand jurors were led to believe Stakleff’s THC level alone could be enough to support the charge.
That distinction is now at the center of Stakleff’s challenge before the Nevada Supreme Court.
Nevada law changed after the crash
The law later changed.
The change took effect Jan. 1, 2026, nearly eight months after the May 2025 crash, and the defense argues it came too late to apply to Stakleff’s case.
Current Nevada law includes numerical marijuana concentration thresholds within the provisions applicable to DUI resulting in death.
Stakleff’s defense is asking the Nevada Supreme Court to intervene and throw out the indictment.
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The Supreme Court has not yet ruled on the challenge.
Grand jury heard other evidence
The blood test was not the only evidence grand jurors heard concerning possible impairment.
According to court records, an officer described Stakleff’s eyes as red and watery and reported possible signs of impairment during field sobriety testing.
A witness also reported seeing Stakleff discard something into nearby bushes after the crash. Police later recovered marijuana packaging from the area.
Video and photographic evidence of Stakleff at the scene and the items left behind were also presented to the grand jury.
District Court Judge Ron Israel denied an earlier defense motion challenging the grand jury proceedings and allowed the criminal case to continue. That earlier challenge included allegations that prosecutors failed to present important information to the grand jury.
What happens if Stakleff wins?
Even if the Nevada Supreme Court sides with Stakleff, it would not necessarily end the prosecution.
His defense is asking for the indictment to be dismissed without prejudice. That means a ruling in Stakleff’s favor would not necessarily prevent prosecutors from pursuing the case again.
Stakleff’s attorney declined an interview with Channel 13.
In an email, attorney Charles Goodwin said the defense has nothing further to add beyond its court filings while the matter remains pending.
Channel 13 has followed the case since shortly after Odabi’s death, including controversy surrounding Stakleff’s initial $5,000 bail. The bail was later increased to $50,000.
