Two Nevada teens are behind bars after police say they murdered a man and set him on fire after they were forbidden to see each other.
Fox 5 reports that Anthony Guerrero, 18, and Sierra Halseth, 16, have been arrested and charged in connection with the death of Sierra’s father, identified as 45-year-old Daniel Halseth. The victim was found deceased inside his Las Vegas garage on Friday, which had been purposely set on fire.
According to an arrest warrant, Daniel Halseth’s mother contacted police for a welfare check after she hadn’t heard from him, as CrimeOnline previously reported. Police officers then asked Halseth’s landlord to check on him; the landlord found Halseth’s burned body inside a garage.
Police said it appeared as if someone started a small fire in the garage to cover up Halseth’s murder.
Around the same time, Guerrero’s parents approached the scene and told authorities they were searching for their son, who had been dating Halseth’s daughter. Authorities learned that Halseth had previously contacted Guerrero’s parents and told them his daughter and their son planned to run away together. The parents decided at that point that the teens should spend time apart.
Guerrero’s parents reportedly said that teens dated from around June 2020 to December 2020.
Halseth’s ex-wife, identified as former Nevada state senator, Elizabeth Helgelien, told police that although they were divorced, they were still on good terms and even still shared the same bank account. Helgelien reportedly said that there we so many ATM withdrawals that the account got flagged for fraud.
Police said the two suspects were using the ATM card to withdraw cash from numerous different machines.
During a search of the home, Las Vegas police detected a strong lighter fluid smell throughout the residence, as well as blood and a burned area in the living room. Authorities also found a circular saw, a new chainsaw, and a handsaw “with apparent blood and tissue on the saw and in between the groves of the saw.”
Extensive cleanup efforts were made, according to police, after the pair allegedly tried to dismember the victim’s body.
Deseret News reports that Utah Transit Authority police officers spotted Guerrero on a TRAX train at the station on Tuesday at 900 South and 200 West.
“Guerrero was asked to show officers proof of fare to ride the train,” the affidavit read, but Guerrero was unable to produce a ticket.
Both Sierra Halseth and Guerrero were arrested at the scene in Utah. They’ve been extradited back to Nevada to face charges.
Check back for updates.
For the latest true crime and justice news, subscribe to the ‘Crime Stories with Nancy Grace’ podcast. Here is our latest episode.
[Feature Photo: Daniel Halseth/Facebook; Anthony Guerrero/Police Handout]
