Joe Junio is charged with murder in the killing of Nicholas Davi outside a North Las Vegas home.
NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. — A judge is being asked to decide how much of a neighborhood conflict jurors may hear before Joe Junio stands trial in May on charges that she killed pastor Nicholas Davi.
The criminal case against Junio, 38, has moved from the immediate facts of a fatal shooting to a pretrial fight over context. Prosecutors want to present evidence that they say shows a pattern of threats, harassment, planning and intent. Junio is charged with open murder with a deadly weapon, attempted murder with a deadly weapon, two counts of child abuse involving a deadly weapon and discharging a firearm where a person might be endangered. She has pleaded not guilty and remains presumed innocent.
The evidence question matters because the shooting itself was recorded, according to court records, but the meaning of that video may depend on what jurors are allowed to know about the weeks before it. Prosecutors say Davi, 46, his wife, Sarah Davi, and their two children had reported repeated problems involving Junio before Dec. 29, 2023. Those reports included rocks thrown into the yard, an attempt to flood the home, dog feces thrown over a fence and a throat-cutting gesture toward the family. The state says the pattern helps explain why the confrontation outside the home ended in gunfire.
The defense is expected to test whether those earlier claims are admissible, relevant and fair. In criminal trials, judges often decide before jury selection whether past acts can be introduced to show motive or intent, or whether they would unfairly suggest a defendant has a bad character. That issue is now central to Junio’s case. The state’s filings say the earlier conduct was not separate background noise but part of an escalation that led directly to the killing. The defense may argue the trial should center on the seconds captured on video and not on disputed neighborhood events that happened days or weeks earlier.
Authorities say the final encounter happened as the Davi family was preparing to leave home in the Court at Aliante community, near Deer Springs Way and Aviary Way. Junio parked near the family, and a verbal exchange followed. Davi asked, “What’s your problem with us?” according to reports describing the evidence. Prosecutors say Junio then opened her vehicle door, approached and fired. Davi was shot and later died. Sarah Davi was also shot and survived serious injuries. The children, 12 and 15 at the time, were in the family vehicle and recorded the shooting, a fact that is likely to make the video one of the trial’s most important exhibits.
The charges show how prosecutors divided the event into separate criminal harms. The murder count is tied to Nicholas Davi’s death. The attempted murder count is tied to the shooting of Sarah Davi. The two child abuse counts are tied to the children’s exposure to a deadly weapon during the attack. The discharge count alleges Junio fired in a place where others could be endangered. Prosecutors also have pointed to a jail call in which Junio allegedly said Davi had harassed her for a decade. A friend on the call allegedly told Junio, “You know, I told you to get rid of that gun.”
That gun is another pretrial focus. Prosecutors say Junio bought it days after the alleged threats and asked a friend to show her how to use it. They say she told the friend that her neighbor was harassing her and kicking her door. The state is likely to argue the purchase shows preparation before the shooting. The defense may seek to frame the purchase differently or challenge whether the state can connect it to a plan to kill. Jurors may eventually have to decide whether the gun evidence shows intent, fear, anger, self-protection or some combination, depending on what testimony survives the evidence hearing.
The state also says Junio sent a message about 10 minutes before the shooting that may speak to her state of mind. In the text, she allegedly told the same friend that if she was dead or in jail, the friend should take her two dogs and two dog treadmill. Prosecutors are expected to use the message as a sign that Junio anticipated a violent outcome or arrest. The timing could give the text unusual force at trial. It places a written statement close to the gunfire and close to the defendant’s own choices. The judge’s ruling will determine whether jurors may consider it with the video and witness testimony. The same ruling may also affect how lawyers question witnesses about the friend’s contact with Junio before the shooting and after her arrest. If admitted, the text could become a bridge between the alleged planning evidence and the recorded confrontation.
The procedural record also shows that the case has already passed through early charging stages. A Clark County grand jury indicted Junio after reviewing evidence in the killing. The indictment moved the case toward district court proceedings, where arraignment, discovery, evidence motions and trial scheduling followed. That process matters because the state is no longer only describing what police believed on the day of arrest. It is now shaping a trial presentation that must survive formal defense objections in court and judicial rulings before any juror weighs guilt.
The capital question has already been resolved. At a 2024 arraignment, Junio pleaded not guilty, and prosecutors said a death review committee had decided not to seek the death penalty. She is being held without bond at the Clark County Detention Center. The no-death-penalty decision does not reduce the seriousness of the murder charge. It narrows the possible punishment if she is convicted and keeps the case in the category of a non-capital murder prosecution. A conviction on open murder with a deadly weapon could still carry severe prison time under Nevada law.
Davi’s role as a pastor has drawn public attention, but the criminal trial will focus on evidence rather than reputation. Davi served at Grace Point Church in Las Vegas and was described by church leaders and friends as a father and community figure. In court, prosecutors must prove the elements of each charge beyond a reasonable doubt. The judge will also need to protect the jury process by deciding what jurors can see and hear. That balance is why the pretrial hearing is important: It can define whether the case is presented as a sudden driveway shooting or as the last step in weeks of alleged threats.
The criminal case is separate from any civil claims involving the shooting, and the jury in the criminal trial will not be asked to decide damages. Its job will be narrower and higher-stakes: determine whether the state has met the criminal burden on each count. The next milestone is the April 21 evidence hearing, followed by a May trial date. Until then, the central question is not whether the neighborhood conflict was ugly, but which parts of it can be used to prove a criminal case.
Author note: Last updated April 28, 2026.