The video embedded in this article is from a previous story regarding this case.
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A plea has been entered for a man accused of injecting a woman with pool cleaner and leaving her body in a container in the desert.
With Judge Carli Kierny presiding, Christopher Prestipino, 49, took what is known as an Alford plea to kidnapping and second-degree murder charges. That means he admits there is enough evidence to convict him but doesn’t admit guilt. It carries the same sentence as a guilty plea would. Sentencing is scheduled for April 25 at 9:00 a.m.
Prestipino, facing murder, kidnapping, and conspiracy to commit murder and kidnapping charges, blamed the killing on his former co-defendant Casandra Garrett.
Prestipino is accused of killing Esmeralda Gonzales, 24, in 2019. Prosecutors allege that Prestipino gave Gonzales methamphetamines, tied her up and strangled her. Prestipino and his roommate, Garrett, are then accused of injecting Gonzales with pool cleaner. Gonzales was later found in cement in a desert area.
Garrett accepted a plea deal, according to court records. She remains in the Clark County Detention Center on a $500,000 bond and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 28.
In 2020, Prestipino’s girlfriend Lisa Mort, agreed to a plea deal on a charge of accessory to murder. According to the Nevada Department of Corrections, Mort was sentenced to 24 to 60 months and given 151 days credit for time served. She was discharged from the NDOC in Feb. 2022.
