LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A man who stabbed his mother nearly 70 times, killing her last year, could spend the rest of his life in prison, a judge ruled Thursday.
Pablo Bonilla, 35, took a plea deal in September on a second-degree murder charge, where he agreed to a prison term of at least 18 years, records showed.
Bonilla killed Paula Prado, 74, inside an apartment in the 2900 block of Juniper Hills Boulevard, near Nellis Boulevard and Vegas Valley Drive, on Sept. 14, 2022.
On Thursday, District Court Judge Tierra Jones sentenced Bonilla to the stipulations of the plea, putting him in prison for at least 18 years. Jones sentenced Bonilla to a 10-year-to-life term on the second-degree murder charge plus a consecutive 8-to-20-year term on a deadly weapon enhancement, documents said.
Bonilla surrendered to police holding two large knives, a teddy bear and a picture frame, according to documents the 8 News Now Investigators first obtained.
A grand jury indicted Bonilla on a murder charge last fall. During the grand jury hearing, a Las Vegas Metro police detective told the panel that Prado had 68 stab wounds. Prado was stabbed “all over her body,” the detective said, including on her face.
Bonilla previously served prison time on charges of coercion, possession of a short-barreled firearm, use of a deadly weapon and attempted burglary, records showed. Booking records indicate he was taken into custody at least 12 times, though some arrests were for skipping court.
Records showed Bonilla’s most recent prison sentence was on a charge of attempted burglary. Department of Corrections records showed Bonilla began his sentence in July 2020. A spokesperson confirmed the sentence ended in March 2022, less than six months from the date of the September 2022 murder.
